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Mystery of i,ise " 
Hotel Briche 

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF 

i Eugene Chavette. 

ILLUSTRATED BY JAMES FAGAN. 



THE POPULAR SERIES 


No. and Title. 


Author. 


Paper Cov* 


1— THE OUTCAST OF MILAN Sylvanus Cobb, Jr 

2— KOLLO OF NORMANDY Sylvanus Cobb, Jr 

8— MART SATTERLEE AMONG THE INDIANS. William O. Stoddard. 


4— KIT CARSON’S LAST TRAIL 

5— THE SCOURGE OF DAMASCUS 

6— THE GREAT KENTON FEUD 

7— LUKE HAMMOND THE MISER 

8— THE CONSPIRATOR OF CORDOVA. 

9— THE FORTUNES OF CONRAD 

0— DIAMOND SEEKER OF BRAZIL... 

1— THE ROBBER COUNTESS 

2— BEL RUBIO 

3— THE ROYAL OUTLAW 

4 — THE BANDIT OF SYRACUSE 

15— RODERICK OF KILDARE 

16— THE SERF LOVERS OF SIBERIA ... 

17— KARL THE LION 

18— THE YOUNG CASTAWAYS 

19— THE CALIPH OF BAGDAD 

20— THE SPECTRE’S SECRET 

21— THE KNIGHT’S MOTTO 

22— ALARIC, or THE TYRANT’S VAULT.. 


Leon Lewis. 

Sylvanus Cobb, Jr 

Capt. Frederick Vv hittaker. 
Prof. Win. Ilenry Peck.... 

Sylvauus Cobb, Jr 

Sylvanus Cobb, Jr 

Leon Lewis 

Sylvanus Cobb, Jr 

Capt. Frederick \V liittaker. 

Sylvanus Cobb, Jr 

Sylvanus Cobb, Jr 

Sylvanus Cobb, Jr 

Leon Lewis 

Sylvanus Cobb, Jr ... .. 

Leon Lewis 

Sylvanus Cobb, Jr 

Sylvanus Cobb, Jr 

Sylvauus Cobb, Jr 

Sylvauus Cobb, Jr. 


23— THE STOLEN VAIL and THE UNSIGNED WILL. E. Werner 

24— THE EXECUTIONER OF VENICE..., 

25— JOSEPHINE’S HEART 

26— THE BLACK TIGER 

27— THESEUS s HERO OF ATTICA..... ... 

28— THE GUNMAKER OF MOSCOW 

29— FLORABEL’S LOVER 

30— TONE 

31— PARTED AT THE ALTAR 

32— CRIS ROCK 

33— MAUD MORTON 

34— PARTED BY FATE 

35— UNDER A CLOUD 

36— A MAD BETROTH Ali 

37— JOHN AVINTHROP’S DEFEAT 

38 — LADY KILDARE 

39— A LEAP IN THE DARK 

40 — THE BAILIFF’S SCHEME 

41— THE STONE-CUTTER OF LISBON... 

42— THE OLD LIFE’S SHADOWS 

43— REUNITED 

44— A LOVE MATCH 

45— MRS. HAROLD STAGG 

46— BRETA’S DOUBLE and A MEMORY.. 

47— THE BEADS OF TASMER 

48— THE LOST LADY OF LONE 

49— THE BARONESS BLANK 

50— SUNDERED HEARTS 

51— PAOLI, THE HERO OF JAPAN 

52— A CRUEL SUSPICION 

53— MORRIS JULIAN’S WIFE 

54— GERTRUDE THE AMAZON 


Prof. Win. Henry Peck 

Reinhold Ortmann 

Capt. Frederick WTiittaker. 

Sylvauus Cobb, Jr 

Sylvanus Cobb, Jr 

Laura Jean Libb*y 

Laura Jean Libbey 

Laura Jean Libbey 

Capt. Mayne Reid 

Major Alfred R. Calhoun... 

Laura Jean Libbey 

Jean Kate Ludlum 

Laura Jean Libbey 

Jean Kate Ludlum 

Mrs. Harriet Lewis 

Mrs.E.D.E.N. Southworib. 

Mrs. Harriet Lewis 

Prof. Wm. Henry Peck 

Mrs. Harriet Lewis 

Popular Southern Author. 

Sylvanus Cobb, Jr 

Robert Grant 

H. V. Greyson and Werner. 

Mrs. Amelia E. Barr 

Mrs. E.D. E. N. South worth. 

August Niemann 

Mrs. E. D. E. N. South wort h. 

W. C. Kitchin 

Fav P. Rathbun 

Elizabeth Olmis 

Sylvanus Cobb, Jr 


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For sale by all booksellers and newsdealers, or sent, postpaid, 
on receipt of price, by the publishers, 

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4 



MYSTERY OF HOTEL 

BRICHET. 






MYSTERY OF HOTEL 
BRICHET. 


21 JJotJel. 


TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF 


EUGENE CHAVETTE. 













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SEP 291 S 94 ; 


WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY JAMES FAGAN . 


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NEW YORK: 


ROBERT BONNER’S SONS, 

PUBLISHERS. 


THE LEDGER LIBRARY: ISSUED MONTHLY. SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, SIX DOLLARS PER ANNUM. NO. 116, 

OCTOBER 1, 1894. ENTERED AT THE NEW YORK, N. Y., POST OFFICE A8 SECOND CLASS MAIL MATTER. 


















COPYRIGHT, 1894, 

BY ROBERT BONNER’S SONS. 

(All rights reserved.) 






■ 





% 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


CHAPTER I 


GREAT crowd of gay, careless Parisians was 



gathered on a bright afternoon in January, 


I V 1721, in the Place de Greve before the prison of 
La Roquette, eager to witness the execution of the 
most infamous criminal of that criminal age. 

For hours they had stood there patiently awaiting 
the moment when the confession of the doomed wretch 
before the judge should be finished, and the victim 
should expiate his crimes on the scaffold. But now 
they were laughing and singing as gayly as if celebrat- 
ing some great deliverance, for was not Cartouche — 
the terror of France — about to be broken on the wheel ? 
And was it not a duty and a pleasure to witness the 
last agony of the wretch whose deeds of blood had so 
long gone unavenged ? 

At every execution in those days it wag customary 
for a judge of the Chatelet to proceed to the Hotel de 
Ville and there await the arrival of the condemned and 


[ 7 ] 


8 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


receive any revelations he might wish to make. This 
precaution was seldom without result, as the wretched 
creature at the sight of the scaffold, either with a 
vague hope for mercy, or merely to prolong his exist- 
ence for a few hours, would usually offer to make a 
confession. The request was never refused. 

And so it had been with Cartouche. He had signi- 
fied to the executioner his desire to be taken to the 
Hotel de Ville, and had been conducted to the magis- 
trate, M. de Badieres, who was seated in the low 
audience chamber. 

It was two o’clock in the afternoon as M.de Badieres 
began to take the deposition, little dreaming of the 
strange emotions in store for him before it should 
close. 

Believing he had been betrayed by his comrades, 
Cartouche’s sole desire was for vengeance. One by 
one he denounced his late companions by name, betray- 
ing their various haunts, and recounting the part each 
had borne in the different expeditions. At each new 
name the judge would issue a warrant of arrest. 

The time passed slowly, but in the great square the 
people were unusually patient. At each sortie of the 
police they imagined that another of the infamous band 
was about to be captured, and they w’aited quietly, 
without even thinking of crying for the prisoner. 

Evening drew on. During the four hours the con- 
fession had lasted thirty persons had been implicated. 
Cartouche paused for a moment. 

“ Is that all ?” asked the judge. 

“ All ?” said the prisoner, grimly. “ I should say 
not ! I have named but a quarter of them yet ; there 
are at least a hundred more. I should say it will take the 
whole night for me to pay off my trusty friends.” 

And he began the recital of another series of crimes. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


with the same details as before. And arrests followed 
so promptly that escape was rendered impossible. 
Nearly every member of the gang had now been 
traced to his lair, and many receivers of stolen goods, 
alarmed by the news of the confession, were seized in 
the act of escaping, laden with their spoils. The judge 
ordered the booty to be placed on the table before him, 
and it was soon covered with untold riches. 

It was evident that Cartouche had but little more to 
say. By the repetition of his former assertions he was 
simply trying to postpone for a few hours the horrible 
death awaiting him outside. 

“You have nothing more to say?” asked the judge, 
interrupting these vain repetitions. 

“ Nothing more, judge,” answered the prisoner, who 
could not deny that his confession was ended ; but at 
this moment his eye fell on some of the jewelry that 
lay in a heap on the table, and a sudden thought seemed 
to strike him. 

“ Ah !” he cried. “ I quite forgot about the procureur .” 

“ What do you mean by calling one of your gang the 
‘ procureur *?” asked M. de Badieres, never doubting 
that this was a nickname. 

“ Why ? Because he was or is, as far as I remember, 
the procureur of the Chatelet,” replied the brigand. 

Amazed, the judge stared at Cartouche to assure 
himself that he was not joking. But the bandit was 
perfectly serious. 

“ And what is the real name of the man you call the 
‘ procureur ’ f” demanded the magistrate. 

Cartouche reflected for a moment. 

“ Wait a bit,” he said. “ He ’s such a cunning fellow 
that he has done every possible thing to hide himself. 
Ah, I have it ! The blackguard’s name is ‘ Brichet.’ ” 

Despite his marvelous self-control, M. de Badieres 


10 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


could not restrain a convulsive start on hearing this 
name. 

“ And what sort of a man is this Brichet ?” asked the 
judge, in a voice of forced calmness. 

“ All that I could tell you would never make you - 
know him half so well as that bracelet there, lying on 
that table. Your men must have bagged it at big 
Mary’s when they took her. In it there is a secret 
locket, in which there is the exact likeness of our man.” 

With a trembling hand, M. de Badieres took the 
bracelet designated, found the secret spring, and opened 
the locket. At the sight of the portrait he started and 
became suddenly pale. 






CHAPTER II. 

Who was this Brichet, whose portrait and whose 
name had so strangely affected M. de Badieies? 

In the year 1697, Athanase Brichet, one of the 
ablest procureurs of the Chatelet, resolved to retire 
from public life and to enjoy at leisure the large for- 
tune he had amassed by the labor of forty years. 

There were not wanting envious persons who hinted 
that he had gained this large fortune not so much from 
the emoluments of his office as from the lucky chance 
that had put into his hands the administration of the 
property of the celebrated Duke de Vivonne, the clever 
and dissipated brother of the beautiful Madame de la 
Montespan, who, after having squandered millions of 
money, had died in absolute poverty several years be- 
fore. Of all the millions that had passed through the 
hands of this gay prodigal, had any po'rtion stuck to 
the fingers of his administrator, Brichet ? It is impos- 
sible to say, but certain it is that the Duke had inspired 
in M. Brichet’s heart a feeling of the deepest gratitude, a 
sentiment not usually felt for the victim by those who 
have despoiled him. The procureur cherished the 
memory of the duke as something sacred, and always 
spoke of him with profound respect and emotion. 

We shall not now pause to inquire into the motive 
that actuated Brichet, but content ourselves with the 
simple statement that in the year 1697 he had resolved 

f 11 J 


n 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


to retire from public life and enjoy his fortune. His 
first care on arriving at this decision was to find a 
worthy and suitable successor to his profession and 
dignities, and his choice fell on his son, then a young 
man thirty years of age, already well versed in every 
quibble of the law, and possessing in a most remark- 
able degree an aptitude for sharp practice of all kinds. 
We cannot pretend that this aptitude was a natural 
gift, for only five years before Victor had shown the 
strongest distaste for anything approaching to a 
sedentary life, and he had evinced the wildest desire 
to be a sailor and to wander forth in search of adven- 
tures. He longed for a life of excitement and romance 
rather than the monotony of his father’s office. How- 
ever, being a young man who listened to reason, he 
consented, after two serious interviews with his father, 
to abandon his passion for a roving life and to adopt 
the sober career that lay before him. With so much 
zfeal and good-will did he do this, that five years later 
his father could find no more suitable person to fill his 
own place. 

So Athanase Brichet retired from office to enjoy his 
large fortune in a state of golden idleness, and Victor, 
the son, reigned in his stead. 

Resolving to make his old age as splendid as possi- 
ble, the old man purchased two houses on the lie St. 
Louis, in the suburbs, demolished them, and on their 
site built for himself a magnificent mansion. Nothing 
was spared in the construction and decoration of this 
superb dwelling. Perhaps the most conspicuous orna- 
ment was a full-length portrait of M. De Vivonne, bear- 
ing the following inscription : 

“ Victor de Rochechouart, Due De Vivonne.” 

But when his house was finished, Brichet’s career 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


13 


was ended by a fit of apoplexy, and be rested in the 
cemetery of St. Jean. 

Finding- himself his own master and sole heir to his 
father’s immense fortune, it was natural that young 
Brichet should abandon his profession and proceed to 
indulge the roving inclinations that had so strongly 
possessed him but a few years before. But he did 
nothing of the kind. He not only retained his office, 
but continued to follow diligently the sedentary life 
that had formerly been so distasteful to him. 

He dismissed the whole retinue of his father’s ser- 
vants, with a handsome remuneration, retaining only 
a single valet named Colard, who, with a cook, sufficed 
for his modest establishment in the Rue de Mouton, 
where his office was situated. 

Colard was at this time about forty-five years of age, 
a perfect type of a faithful servant. Discreet, upright 
and devoted to his master, he performed his duties 
silently and deftly. Tall and thin, taciturn and abso- 
lutely devoid of curiosity, he possessed invaluable 
qualities for a servant, and the procureur soon gave 
him his entire confidence. Once a week Colard was 
dispatched to the Quai de Betham for the purpose of 
airing the empty house. Each time he returned full 
of admiration and regret at all the useless splendor 
there displayed. 

“ When will monsieur inhabit his noble mansion ?” 
the worthy servant would inquire. 

“ God only knows,” Brichet would reply. But sud- 
denly Brichet committed what his best friends unani- 
mously declared to be an extraordinary act of folly. 

In his daily walks from his house to the chatelet he 
had often encountered a charming young girl, whom 
he admired as the ideal of natural refinement and 
modesty. 


14 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


Brichet, although now thirty-five years of age, had 
never loved. He was instantly bewitched by this 
pretty creature, and, regarding her in the light of a 
momentary caprice, soon set Colard on her traces. 
His servant returned with the fullest particulars. She 
was a good, hard-working girl named Pigeot, earning 
her own livelihood and living alone in a garret. Her 
mother was dead, and her father was a journeyman 
shoemaker at Nancy. She had been brought to Paris 
by a countess in the capacity of lady’s maid. Unfor- 
tunately the countess had a dissipated husband, whose 
behavior toward the poor girl made it impossible for 
her to remain in the countess’s service. Unable to 
return home, the journey to Nancy being a long and 
expensive one, she obtained work as a seamstress, 
hoping soon to gain sufficient money to enable her to 
return to her father. 

Brichet, thinking that the handsome daughter of a 
poor shoemaker would be well-fitted to make him a 
charming companion, dispatched Colard to offer her 
the most advantageous terms. But his servant was an 
upright man, and being unused to this kind of diplo- 
macy, utterly failed to bring her to terms. Resistance 
and difficulties only fanned the flame of Brichet’s 
smoldering love ; what had at first been merely a pass- 
ing caprice became a serious passion, and he resolved 
to offer marriage. Still, he hesitated. What ! Brichet, 
the millionaire — the procureur — marry the daughter of 
a cobbler, whom he would be forced to acknowledge as 
father-in-law ! Never ! 

But “ Love will still be lord of all,” and Brichet 
found at last the means of gratfying his passion and 
saving at the same time his self-love. He at once hur- 
ried the devoted Colard to Nancy, with orders to find 
out old Pigeot to gain his consent to the marriage, and 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


15 


to make an agreement with him, that in consideration 
of his receiving a yearly income of six hundred francs 
he would never seek to see his daughter again. 

The following month Pauline Pigeot was married to 
Brichet, who introduced her to all his friends as an 
orphan. The procureur had made a lucky choice, for 
Pauline was a good and charming woman, who soon 
rose to the level of her brilliant position without losing 
any of the innocence of her days of poverty. 

A week after the wedding Brichet sold his practice 
to his chief clerk, installed himself in his superb man- 
sion on the Quai de Beth am, and from this time led the 
life of a man happy and beloved. 

The father-in-law kept his promise and gave no sign 
of life, beyond sending regularly his quarterly receipt 
for the pension forwarded to him by Colard. This 
happy state of affairs had lasted ten years, when an 
event occurred which cast a cloud over the hitherto 
untroubled horizon. 

Colard, who up to this time was the only person who 
had had any intercourse with the old cobbler, fell seri- 
ously ill from brain fever, which kept him for three 
weeks in a state of delirium. The quarterly pension 
at this moment falling due, and Brichet not being able 
to obtain any particulars from Colard, wrote to an 
attorney at Nancy, inclosing the old man’s money, and 
begged him to find out Pigeot and pay it over to him. 
A fortnight after the banknote was returned from 
Nancy, in a letter as follows : 

“ Honored Sir : I have searched the whole town and can find 
no one of the name of Pigeot ; in fact, I am certain that no per- 
son of that name has ever inhabited the place.” 

On reading this note Brichet’s amazement may be 
imagined. 


16 MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 

“Then for the last ten years,’’ he said to himself, 
“ who the deuce can have been drawing this pension 
and sending in the receipts ?” 

He had, however, the sense not to mention the 
matter to his wife without having had an explanation 
with Colard, who alone held the key to the mystery. 
As soon as his servant had sufficiently recovered, 
Brichet showed him the letter, and Colard was as 
deeply mystified as his master ; but being determined 
to clear up the matter, he insisted on setting out at 
once for Nancy. The good man, however, in his 
anxiety to serve his master had over-rated his physical 
strength, and a week later Brichet learned from him 
that a return of the fever had forced him to remain in 
bed for the last five days in the town of Chalons. 

The same post brought another letter addressed to 
Madame Brichet, from her father, announcing to her 
that, having implicated himself in some political broil, 
his friends had concealed him from all research and 
that he was now safely in Brussels, whence the letter 
was dated. 

“ Then he must have taken the lawyer of Nancy for 
a detective and destroyed every trace of his where- 
abouts,” thought Brichet, when his wife told him of her 
father’s letter, and he immediately wrote to Colard, 
telling him to abandon his futile journey and to return 
to Paris. Two weeks later Colard returned, pale and 
exhausted from suffering and fatigue, and this was the 
only trouble Brichet had from his accommodating 
father-in-law — the only result being that the quarterly, 
pension was now dispatched to Brussels. 

But everything comes to an end in this world, and 
nothing more surely than happiness. After seventeen 
years of unclouded bliss his beloved wife died, leaving 
for his consolation a charming daughter sixteen years 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


17 


of age, as sweet and amiable as her mother, and, like 
her, bearing the name of Pauline. 

The death of Madame Brichet seemed as great a 
blow to the good Colard as to her husband. The old 
servant had an absolute adoration for his mistress. On 
her part, Madame Brichet knew full well the priceless 
devotion of her humble friend, and in her last mo- 
ments she whispered to him : “ Watch over my 

daughter.” 

The performance of this last request now became a 
sacred duty for Colard, who henceforth transferred to 
Pauline the respectful love he had hitherto shown for 
her mother. The old man was her willing slave, ready 
at any moment to lay down his life in her service. 

Brichet, after much weeping, soon dried his eyes 
and began to recover from his grief. After two years 
he began to ask himself why he should not, by a second 
marriage, renew the lost happiness of his first. He 
was then fifty-four years of age, and he resolved to 
take a young wife, alleging as an excuse that she 
would be a pleasant companion for Pauline. His 
choice fell on Mile. Aurore Fouquier, daughter of a 
captain of light dragoons, who had no objection to 
a son-in-law older than himself, that son-in-law being 
a millionaire. 

When Brichet announced his approaching marriage 
to Colard he felt bound to^nake some excuse for himself. 

“ Look here, my good Colard,” he said, in a whim- 
pering voice ; “ you know I am perfectly alone in the 
world.” 

“ Have you forgotten your daughter ?” replied the 
latter, dryly. 

“ My good fellow, it ’s just on her account I am sac- 
rificing myself and taking a young wife. They are of 
the same age, and will love each other like sisters.” 


18 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


Colard gave Brichet a reproachful look, but said no 
more. 

By this time the memory of his late wife had com- 
pletely faded from Brichet’s mind. He had even 
ceased to pay the pension to his first and ever invisible 
father-in-law. 

“ He must be dead,” he thought. 

The following month the marriage was celebrated, 
and Victor Brichet gave to his daughter Pauline a 
stepmother of nineteen. His second wife had different 
views of life from those of the first, and soon the 
hotel on the Quai de Betham awakened to the sounds 
of revelry. The beautiful young bride was universally 
admired. During six weeks her old husband was 
radiantly happy, but one day he became sad, the next 
morose, and the third day he was transformed into a 
savage. At last, without giving the slightest previous 
notice of his whim, he left the house, taking with him 
only a small valise, and never returned. Month after 
month passed away, and Brichet gave no sign of exist- 
ence. M. De Badieres, his most intimate friend, did 
everything in his power to find some trace of the miss- 
ing man, and in all his efforts was most ably seconded 
by Colard. The good fellow had at first been irritated 
at the foolish marriage of his master, viewing it in the 
light of an injustice to Pauline, but since Brichet’s dis- 
appearance Colard’s anger ffad completely died away, 
and all his old love and devotion for his master re- 
vived. He at length found the name of “ Brichet ” in- 
scribed in the register of public carriages at Ver- 
sailles, and that he had thence taken the coach to 
Chartres, where all clue to his proceedings was lost. 
Had he continued his journey, or had he returned to 
Paris ? The latter hypothesis appalled both M. De 
Badieres and the old servant, for it was possible that 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 19 

Brichet, on his return, might have been the victim of 
one of those ghastly murders with which Cartouche 
and his band were wont to terrify the town, and at each 
new discovery of a dead body stretched on the Paris 
pavement, Colard would rush to the scene, fearing to 
behold the well-remembered features of his beloved 
master. 

Two years elapsed. Brichet had not returned, nor 
had all the zeal of faithful friends been able to deter- 
mine whether he were dead or alive. 

One may readily comprehend the terrified emotion 
of M. de Badieres when Cartouche suddenly pronounced 
the name of Brichet, this friend of his youth, whom he 
had been seeking so fruitlessly and long. But not- 
withstanding the title of proctireur, afid despite the 
extraordinary resemblance of the portrait in the locket, 
M. de Badieres utterly rejected the idea that Brichet, 
happy, prosperous and respected, could have any com- 
plicity with the villainous assassin. It seemed impos- 
sible that any chain of events should have brought 
them in contact. 

“ What part did this man, whom you call the pro- 
cureur, take in your expeditions ?” asked the judge, 
trying to steady his voice. 

“ Oh, he was one of those cunning monkeys who 
never pull the chestnuts out of the fire themselves. He 
was contented to give advice and to put us up to many 
a good thing.” 

“ How old is he ?” 

“ Well, fifty-five or six, I should say.” 

At this reply M. de Badieres shuddered, knowing 
full well that this was just the age of Brichet. 

“ Where can the police find this man ?” proceeded 
the judge. 

“ In the Rue de la Bacherie, at a tinsmith’s on the 


20 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


third story. Knock five times, and he will open a little 
slide in the door, then give the password, ‘ Let us talk 
of M. de Vivonne,' and he will let "you in.” 

“ How long has he belonged to your band ?” 

“ About two years.” 

This answer corresponded with the date of Brichet’s 
disappearance, and with a trembling and fevered hand 
M. de Badieres wrote the warrant. - 

“ Have you nothing more to say ?” asked M. de 
Badieres, anxious to put an end to the trying scene. 

“ No,” stammered Cartouche, and at a sign from the 
judge the executioners dragged him away. 

A few minutes later a dull thud, followed by a fright- 
ful shriek of agony, told the listeners that the first blow 
of the iron bar had descended on the convict whose 
bones were to be broken on the wheel. 






CHAPTER III. 

In the midst of the general rejoicing at the death of 
Cartouche, one man was unhappy. M. de Badieres, 
on leaving the Hotel de Ville, wandered listlessly in 
the streets of Paris trying to believe the robber’s story 
impossible. 

“ How could dear old Brichet have anything 
to do with such a scoundrel ? What could pos- 
sibly be his motive ? He had an immense fortune, no 
enemies, and his late marriage had made him the hap- 
piest of men ! Neither love of money, desire for 
vengeance nor despair could make him join such a 
gang of ruffians.” 

But among all his specious arguments the question 
would ever assert itself : Why did he disappear ? 

“ Perhaps the man whom he denounced may be like 
Brichet, and these blackguards may have thought it a 
good joke to dub him ‘ procureur' I daresay I shall 
find but a faint resemblance to my old friend when he 
appears before me after his arrest.” After his arrest ! 
These three last words petrified the judge. The idea 
was too preposterous. He even began to laugh at his 
own folly. “ I am mad,” he said, “ and unfair to my 
good friend in thinking of such absurdities.” But at 
this moment one fact filled him with dread. The 

[ 21 J 



22 


MYSTERY OE HOTEL BRICHET. 


password by which this criminal was to be captured 
was “Let us talk of M. de Vivonne,” and the judge 
shuddered. Absorbed in these thoughts he had wan- 
dered at random through the streets of Paris and now 
had arrived at Brichet’s mansion. He knocked at the 
door. It was opened by Colard. 

“ Have you any news of my good master ?” he asked 
of the judge. This was always the question of the old 
servant on seeing the magistrate, and the judge had 
so often answered “ No,” that Colard could not repress 
a startled cry when M. de Badieres replied : 

“ Yes, I have had news, strange news.” 

The judge was so preoccupied with his own thoughts 
that he paid no attention to Colard, but on suddenly 
raising his eyes he exclaimed : 

“Good God, Colard, what ’s the matter ?” 

The man was as pale as death, and his legs seemed 
unable to support him. 

“ Ah, sir ! You have given me a terrible blow,” lie 
stammered feebly, “ when you said you had news. I 
thought you meant that my master had been found, 
but when you added ‘ strange news,’ I was sure he is 
dead ; and to pass in a moment from joy to despair is 
indeed hard. I have guessed rightly, have I not, that 
my dear master is dead ?” 

There was such despairing affection in Colard’s 
voice that M. de Badieres thought : “ He was so fond 
of Brichet that I can trust him to help me.” The 
judge gently pushed Colard aside and entered the hall, 
saying : 

“ Calm yourself, my good friend, and tell me first, 
where are the ladies ?” 

“At the back of the house.” 

“ Don’t disturb them,” the judge said, “ it is to you 
I want to speak. Come with me into the little parlor.” 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


23 


The magistrate entered, followed by Colard. “ Now, 
my friend,” he said, “ I want you to try and remember 
everything.” 

“ The first Madame Brichet was an orphan, was she 
not, as Brichet said ?” 

The existence of the cobbler Pigeot being his mas- 
ter’s secret and not his, Colard replied : 

“ Yes, sir, she was.” 

“ Had Madame Brichet any relatives with whom her 
husband could have been on bad terms ?” 

“ None, sir.” 

“Were there any members of his own family with 
whom he had quarreled ?” 

“ No, sir, he had no relatives.” 

“ Try to remember if there was any person on whom 
he wished to be revenged ?” 

“ My master never mentioned a human being con- 
nected with his past life excepting one man, and that, 
certainly not with hatred.” 

“ And who was he ?” 

“ Monsieur de Vivonne.” 

At this name M. de Badieres paused. The terrible 
password rang in his ears, “ Let us talk of M. de 
Vivonne.” He proceeded : 

“ Do you know why your master had so great an 
affection for the duke, who died thirty-three years 
ago ?” 

“ It was some secret told him by his father, sir.” 

“ Does any one else know this secret ?” 

“ No, sir.” 

“ Have you any likeness of Brichet ?” 

“ We had a miniature belonging to Miss Pauline, 
but last Christmas it was stolen from her at the mid- 
night mass.” 

Involuntarily M. de Badieres’s fingers closed round 


24 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


the bracelet in his pocket. Nothing that Colard 
had said gave him the slightest clue, but he con- 
tinued : 

“ Try to recall everything your master said or did 
the day before he went away.” 

“ He was out the whole day.” 

“ And where do you imagine he went ?” 

“ To your house, sir.” 

“ So he did, but he stayed there only an hour.” 

“ To his lawyers, perhaps, sir,” said Colard in a 
hesitating voice, trying to remember. 

“ Do you suppose it was to make his will ?” 

Instead of answering, Colard looked suspiciously at 
the judge and seemed to inquire the object of all these 
questions, and, M. de Badieres, divining his thought, 
resumed : 

“ Oh, don’t look so fierce, my good Colard. All that I 
am asking is purely in your master’s interest. So I re- 
peat my question. You suppose he went to make his 
will ?” 

“ Yes, sir, for he was going on a journey.” 

“ Are you sure of that ?” 

Suspicion again appeared in Colard’s eyes. 

“ Where else could he be going ?” he asked dryly. 

“ How should I know,” replied the judge. “But it 
might have been to some dangerous rendezvous or on 
some perilous adventure. 

Colard looked at the judge and became deadly 
pale. 

“ What makes you turn pale ?” asked the magistrate, 
who noticed the old man’s emotion. 

“ Why, sir ? Because for the last hour you have been 
torturing me with questions, because I am certain you 
have come to this house with news of some dreadful 
misfortune which is about to fall on Miss Pauline, and 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


25 


perhaps make a wreck of her life ; because I feel that 
my young lady is threatened with some anguish much 
more horrible than the news of her father’s death,” 
and Colard burst into tears. 

The name of Pauline put an end at once to the 
struggle within M. de Badieres, and the thought that 
this innocent girl, whom he had known from her birth, 
must henceforth bear a dishonored name if he per- 
sisted in his duty, made him deaf to the appeals of his 
judicial conscience. 

“ You are very fond of Miss Pauline, then ?” he 
said. 

“ Yes, sir, her mother left her to me on her death- 
bed,” said the valet with great earnestness. 

“ And you are much attached to your master 
also ?” 

“ Yes,” said Colard, but this time with his old sus- 
picion. 

“ Well, then, in the interest of Miss Pauline and her 
father, I am going to intrust you with a mission which 
you must swear to me never to reveal.” 

“ I swear it,” said Colard. 

“ Go to the Rue de la Bacherie and look for the 
house of a tinsmith. Go up three stories and give five 
knocks at a door with a slide in it.” 

“ Five knocks,” repeated the amazed domestic. 

“ When the slide opens repeat the password : ‘ Let 
us talk of M. de Vivonne.’ Then the door will open 
and you will find yourself in the presence of seme one 
whom you know. Say to him, ‘You have been de- 
nounced ! Fly this instant ! M. de Badieres will wait 
two days before doing his duty as a magistrate.’ Do 
you understand ?” 

“Yes, sir, and in doing all this you assure me that I 
am preventing some dreadful misfortune to Miss Paul- 


26 MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 

ine ?” asked Colard, looking the judge straight in the 
face. 

“You will be quite certain of that when you see the 
person to whom I am sending you,” replied M. de 
Badieres, with a ghastly smile. 

Without saying more Colard set off as fast as his old 
legs would carry him. In a quarter of an hour he 
reached the Rue de la Bacherie, found the tinsmith’s 
house, mounted to the third story, and found himself 
before a door with a slide. He gave five knocks. 






CHAPTER IV. 

The state of licence and corruption prevailing- in 
France during the Regency has never been equaled in 
that country. It was a time of the most unbridled 
profligacy and debauchery. Duels, elopements, dis- 
graceful liaisons, riotous orgies, public scandals, com- 
bats with the police were the daily occupation of the 
great nobles, and in the celebrated taverns many a great 
lady might be publicly seen on the arm of her lover, 
in the company of common soldiers, grisettes and the 
lowest of the populace. 

Among the most celebrated of these taverns was 
the Broc d’ Or, situated on a corner of the Place de 
Greve. 

The ground floor consisted of a long room, half saloon 
and half kitchen, rudely furnished with wooden tables, 
where the common people, seated on rough benches, 
regaled themselves from tin pots. 

Very different were the appointments of the two 
upper stories, where every luxury awaited the wealthy 
guests of the house, who called for the finest wines and 
discussed them in the choicest company. 

Although the spacious Broc d’ Or never wanted cus- 
tomers,- it was always invaded by a crowd that over- 
flowed its precincts whenever an execution took place 
on the Place de Greve. The windows looking on the 

[27] 


28 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


square afforded an excellent opportunity to regale the 
senses by an exhibition at once so fascinating and so 
delightful, while the observer tested the rare wines 
and exquisite cookery of Maitre Gerome, the landlord. 

So to his great joy, on the nth of January, the 
Broc d’ Or was already thronged, and on hearing that 
Cartouche was about to make a' confession, Maitre 
Gerome rubbed his hands with renewed delight, knowing 
that the longer his customers remained the more they 
would pay. 

His especial attention was given to a couple in the 
front room on the second story. The man was tall, 
handsome, about twenty-eight years of age, with a bold 
face and reckless manner. Despite his distinguished 
name and his polished manners, one felt instinctively 
that the Chevalier de Lozeril was corrupt to the core, 
that no means would be too base, no proceeding too 
dishonorable for him. His companion, a young lady of 
twenty- six, was the Marquise de Brageron, graceful 
and of marvelous beauty. 

On entering, the marquise glanced at the table, and, 
seeing it laid for seven persons, asked : 

“ What is the party to be ?” 

“ De Ravannes and his presidente.” 

“ A jolly couple, and who else ?” 

“ The Comte de Lacenais and the little baroness, 
who never leaves him.” 

“That’s good. You and I make six. Who’s the 
seventh ? A lady ?” 

“ No, marquise, a gentleman,” said De Lozeril, hesi- 
tating. 

“ Ah ! Who is he ?” 

Still the chevalier hesitated and then replied : 

“ The Baron de Cambiac.” 

An angry light glittered in the lady’s eyes, and her 


MYSTERY OF HOTET, BRICHET. 


29 


beautiful mouth gave an expression of bitter hate, but 
quickly recovering herself, she remarked carelessly : 

“Ah, M. de Cambiac !” 

“ You are not displeased, marquise ?” 

“Why should I be displeased? No one could have 
been a better friend of mine than De Cambiac !” 

At this avowal De Lozeril, in his turn, became white 
with rage, and Ir's emotion did not escape the marquise. 
Looking him straight in the face, she said, in a mock- 
ing tone : 

“ So you, too, hate De Cambiac. I need not be a 
witch to see your game. You have long been trying to 
meet M. de Cambiac, and here, at last, is your chance. 
Invited, I suppose, by Ravannes or Lacenais, he little 
expects to meet us here ?” 

De Lozeril was speechless with embarrassment. 

“ And then you hoped,” continued the marquise, 
“ that seeing me might induce him to make some allu- 
sion to the past as a sneer, or a joke, and then — ” 

“ And then I shall kill him !” cried the young man 
with jealous fury. 

“ I forbid you to do anything of the kind,” replied the 
marquise in a cold voice. 

“ You forbid me ! So you still love this man ?” 

Furious at this reproach Mme. de Brageron rushed 
at De Lozeril, seized him by the wrist, and dragging 
him violently toward her, exclaimed in a voice trem- 
bling with anger : 

“ Listen to me, you baby ! You cannot hate De 
Cambiac half as bitterly as I do. You hate him for 
having been my lover, and I detest him for leaving me 
so brutally. You want your revenge, and so do I. But 
to kill him by a stupid sword thrust ! Bah ! That is 
too simple.” 

u What do you want, then ?” 


30 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ I want a revenge,” said the marquise slowly and 
distinctly, “ that will punish and dishonor not only him, 
but those who are most dear to him, which at one blow 
will kill him and the wretched woman who has sup- 
planted me, and whose name I have never discovered.” 

The chevalier gazed at the young woman, fascinated 
by her terrible beauty, as she continued : 

“ Will you obey me blindly, without even seeking to 
understand my motives ?” 

“ I will.” 

“Well, then, when De Cambiac comes in, pretend to 
be very glad to see him. On finding me calm and 
indifferent after two years of separation, he will think 
I have forgotten our past, and he will be off his guard. 
After dinner, Monsieur de Ravannes, who is mad about 
cards, is certain to propose a game.” 

Here the marquise stopped, and looking steadily at 
her lover, said : 

“ I suppose you know how to win in any case ?'* 

At this question, which clearly proved that the lady 
had but little opinion of his honesty, De Lozeril was 
about to protest, but before he could say a word the 
marquise proceeded : 

“I insist, do you hear? You must win !” and the 
chevalier, looking rather uneasy, responded : 

“ Well, supposing I do, what then ?” 

“You will let the baron go on losing money, and 
after that he will lose his temper.” 

“ And I shall pretend to take offense at something 
he says and challenge him ?” 

“ Not at all, chevalier ; the provocation must not 
come from you, but from De Lacenais, who has a most 
aggravating tongue. He is certain to make some joke 
about De Cambiac’s continued bad luck, and you will 
burst into a loud laugh,” 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


31 


“ But then the baron will quarrel with De Lacenais, 
and not with me.” 

“ Not at all. He likes and esteems De Lacenais and 
won’t mind his little joke, but he will be furious at your 
laughter becauses he despises you.” 

De Lozeril took no notice of his lady’s insult, and 
replied : 

“ Then it is De Cambiac who will challenge me ; but 
it matters little, after all, so long as I fight him. Then 
we shall go out, eh, marquise ?” 

“ No, you will say slowly and distinctly : ‘ Before 
fighting a man it is usual to pay him what you owe.’ ” 

At this extraordinary command of his mistress, De 
Lozeril stared at her and stammered out : 

“ And after that ?” 

“ Ah, that isn’t your affair. After that you will let 
events take their course. Obey me, that is all.” 

“But,” said the chevalier, making a faint resistance. 

“ Didn’t you swear to obey me blindly ?” interrupted 
the marquise, in a stern voice. 

“’Very well,” said De Lozeril, resignedly. 

“ Ah, by the way, I have forgotten one detail,” the 
lady added. “ I may possibly at the moment of the 
challenge have left the room, but don’t trouble your- 
self about me. You may be certain I am at work else- 
where in the accomplishment of our revenge.” 

The conversation was scarcely ended when De 
Ravannes and the Comte de Lacenais arrived, with 
their respective ladies. Five minutes later the door 
opened again and the Baron de Cambiac entered. His 
eyes fell on De Lozeril and the marquise, and he would 
have beaten a hasty retreat had not De Ravannes seized 
him by the arm, crying gayly : 

“ Ah, here you come at last ! We were only waiting 
for you,” as he drew him into the room. 


32 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


Although the hesitation of the baron had been mo- 
mentary, it had not escaped the marquise, who thought 
to herself : “ He suspects us !” 

De Cambiac advanced, bowed low before Mme. De 
Brageron and raised his eyes to meet the.expected look 
of coldness and disdain, but the marquise smiled 
sweetly at him, and said, in a. voice that she knew so 
well how to make tender : 

“ Ah, M. De Cambiac ! It is actually two years since 
we last met. You have neglected your best friends.” 

This reception somewhat reassured De Cambiac, and 
he saluted De Lozeril in a friendly manner, while De 
Ravannes hastened to present him to the rest of the 
party. 

“ Dear friend, come here and let me introduce you to 
the presidente.” 

Of a pink-and- white complexion and tottering on the 
verge of corpulence, the presidente was a charming 
blonde, as greedy as a cat, and had dispatched her hus- 
band to the provinces to fill his presidential chair, in 
order that she might remain in Paris and indulge her 
appetite in peace. 

A lively conversation ensued, in which the frightful 
tales of the Cartouche murders were repeated. 

“ Listen !” cried the presidente. “ Isn’t that the 
great bell of the cathedral tolling ?” 

“ Yes, that means that the doomed man has quitted 
Notre Dame after his penitence, and is now on his way 
here,” said De Lacenais. 

“ To the windows, ladies, quick ! To the windows !” 
cried De Ravannes. “ The cart must be here directly.” 
And a movement of the crowd that surged beneath 
them indicated that it was visible in the distance. 
Another moment and Cartouche arrived on the Place 
de Greve. 



xAv y.< - 














p.vuLiNK kan toward him . — See Page 42 




Ha 


rv 

* i.r» 




Ji 





MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


33 


“Ah, the gallant brigand ! You see he is going to 
oblige us by making a confession, so we may enjoy our 
dinner in the meantime.” 

In a few minutes the seven guests were seated 
■ round the table, and at the very first summons Maitre 
Gerome appeared, attended by his aids, carrying in 
the steaming dishes and innumerable bottles of wine. 

was now two o’clock ; and the usual dinner hour 
being twelve, each one brought a good appetite to the 
tijoyment of the choice repast. The little banquet 
proceeded gayly. De Lozeril showed so much good- 
•umored gayety, and Mme. De Brageron continued to 
^rnile so sweetly, that De Cambiac threw aside all his 
former suspicion and abandoned himself to the pleas- 
ure of dining in congenial company. But however ex- 
quisite may be the wine, and however perfect the 
cookery, the moment comes at last when the most in- 
trepid diner must confess himself vanquished, and this 
moment having arrived, the guests rose, and De Ra- 
vannes uttered the fatal words : 

“ Gentlemen, I propose a game of cards !” 

“A splendid idea !” cried De Lacenais. 

“ Done !” assented De Cambiac. 

De Lozeril bowed affirmatively, well pleased that the 
proposal had not come from him, and a rapid glance 
at the marquis revealed to him a triumphant smile on 
her expressive lips. During the next two hours De 
Cambiac won incessantly ; then the luck turned, and it 
was the chevalier who cleared the table. De Cambiac 
played eagerly, hoping to retrieve his losses. The 
night passed, and at dawn of day the baron, irritated 
at his continued bad luck, tripled the stakes. 

“ Oh, I do not play so high !” protested De Lacenais, 
rising from the table, and De Ravannes followed his 
example. 


34 


MYSTERY OF HOTET, RRICHET. 


The game continued between De Lozeril and the 
baron, the other two gentlemen watching the play 
with keen interest, and at this moment the marquise 
glided from the room. As to the other ladies, one was 
snoring in a corner, and the presidente was fast asleep, 
with her nose in a plate of whipped cream. 

“ A hundred Louis on credit !” cried De Cambiac, 
feverishly, having parted with all his ready money, and 
half an hour later he had lost on parole four thousand 
crowns. 

“ Ah, my dear baron,” remarked De Lacenais, 
“ proverbs were not made for you, as it seems you are 
as unlucky at play as you are in love !” 

Following the instructions of his mistress, De 
Lozeril now burst into a loud, mocking laugh, and 
irritated at once by his losses and by De Lacenais’s 
sarcasm, De Cambiac cried, in a tone of suppressed 
fury : 

“ Is that Cartouche bellowing on the Place ?” 

“ No, Monsieur le Baron, it is I,” De Lozeril answered 
quietly. 

“ Ah, indeed !” retorted De Cambiac. “ Then I only 
mistook one blackguard for another !” 

De Ravannes and De Lacenais tried to stop the 
feud, but the baron, beside himself with rage, cried 
out fiercely : 

“ No, no, my friends ! Let me alone. Let me take 
this opportunity of ridding the world of an infernal 
scoundrel !” 

At this fresh insult De Lozeril threw himself back 
in his chair, and, still obeying his orders to the letter, 
said, in a slow and distinct voice : 

“ Before killing a man, it is usual to pay him what 
you owe !” 

At these words De Cambiac’s fury seemed to vanish. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


35 


Pale as death, and with a voice trembling with emo- 
tion, he cried : 

“ You are right, sir, and I will pay you !” 

“ Oh, pray don’t inconvenience yourself, you have 
twenty-four hours’ grace.” 

Thereupon De Cambiac, bowing low, and without 
another word, left the room. On the staircase he 
called for the landlord. 

u Gerome, show me where I can sit down a moment 
and write a few words, and send me one of your waiters 
to take a message.” 

Maitre Gerome led the way to his own room. De 
Cambiac traced a few lines without signature, ad- 
dressed it, and said to the waiter : 

“ You see this ring, it is worth twenty louis. It is 
yours if in an hour you deliver this note to the person 
for whom it is intended and bring me the answer.” 

The boy flew like the wind, but he had scarcely 
cleared the crowd when a little delicate hand was laid 
on his arm. 

“You belong to the Broc d’ Or, don’t you?” asked a 
veiled lady. 

* Yes, madam.” 

“ Do you know if Monsieur de Cambiac is at this 
moment in your establishment ?” 

And the boy, thinking himself remarkably clever, 
replied : 

“ It is probably you for whom this note is in- 
tended.” 

“Probably !” said the lady, seizing on the missive. 
She forced the seal, which was as yet soft, and read as 
follows : 

“Aurore, I must see you this instant, or I am 
ruined,” and the address was “ Madame Brichet, Quai 
de Betham.” 


36 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


Hastily resealing the letter, the wax being warm, she 
returned it to the lad, saying : 

“ We were mistaken. After all, this note is not for 
me. Here is a louis to make you forget the double im- 
prudence we have committed — you in giving it to me, 
and I in opening it.” 

“ And seeing him depart on his errand, the marquise 
murmured, in a voice of mingled joy and hatred : 

‘'At last I know the guardian angel whom De Cam- 
biac invokes in his distress !” 






CHAPTER V. 

In the rear of the Hotel Brichet was a fine garden, 
extending as far as the Rue St. Louis, and terminating 
in an elegant pavilion, which had b.een used by the late 
Mme. Brichet as an oratory. Her more worldly-minded 
successor had converted it into a charming boudoir , 
furnished in the most luxurious and costly style, and 
here Aurore would while away the summer days, enjoy- 
ing the cool and balmy breezes, while the fine old trees 
of the garden afforded refreshing shelter from the 
rays of the noonday sun. 

The pavilion communicated with the Rue St. Louis 
by a little door cut in the wall, which was never used 
except on Sundays, when Pauline, attended by the 
faithful Colard, went to hear mass at the church in the 
same street. Although we have observed that Mme. 
Aurore Brichet conducted herself with becoming pro- 
priety during her husband’s absence, it cannot be said 
that his disappearance had by any means plunged her 
into despair. Neither did the world expect any extra- 
ordinary manifestation of distress from this young 
woman of twenty, who had been married for her 
beauty by a rich and selfish man, old enough to be her 
father. 

Widely different were the feelings of Brichet’s 

T 37 J 


38 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


daughter, who had adored him. His mysterious dis- 
appearance was a daily and hourly torture to her lov- 
ing heart, and although the poor girl felt that she was 
doing Aurore an injustice, she could not banish from 
her mind the idea that the advent of her stepmother 
had been the cause of the great sorrow that now over- 
shadowed her life. And so it happened that each day 
saw them drifting more widely apart. Pauline chose 
to stay in the hotel, where everything reminded her of 
her beloved father, while Aurore preferred her dainty 
pavilion and the flowers. 

The grand salon, therefore, became the neutral 
ground where the two young women met to receive the 
many friends of Brichet who came to enliven their sol- 
itude. Aurore and Pauline emulated one another in 
their attentions to their guests, so that each one de- 
parted fully convinced of the affection existing between 
Brichet’s wife and daughter. The mansion was kept 
in a state of perpetual animation by the noisy and 
jovial proceedings of a gay and festive personage to 
whom we have hitherto neglected to introduce the 
reader. In marrying a second time, Brichet had 
become possessed of a new father-in-law, a person 
much less discreet and very much more visible than 
the accommodating cobbler. Annibal Fouquier, the 
captain of light dragoons, who had been so ready to 
bestow his young daughter on Brichet, was a thorough- 
paced scoundrel. Tall, and with the strength of 
Hercules, he was a drunkard, gambler and expert 
duelist. His character had been so unprincipled that 
he had been degraded from his rank in the army. 
Always in want of money from his losses at the gam- 
ing-table, it may be imagined with what delight he had 
welcomed the millionaire Brichet as a son-in-law, 
turning a deaf ear to the remonstrances of his daugh- 


mystery of hotel brichet. 


39 


ter, who had revolted against the idea of so old a 
husband. 

“ vSo much the better,” said he. “ The older he is, 
the sooner you will be a widow, little idiot !” 

“ But don't you know, father, I have chosen another?” 
Aurore had answered. 

“ All the more reason for marrying Brichet.” 

“ But you allowed me to love that young man.” 

“ And I allow you to love him still, my dear, but that 
need not prevent your marrying the procureur,” had 
been the reply of the worthy captain. 

Put as Aurore persisted in her objections, her father 
grew angry, and twisting his mustache in a desperate 
rage, demanded furiously : 

“ Must I kill your young puppy, then, to bring you 
to reason ?” 

Whereupon Aurore, who knew her father’s fatal 
dexterity as a duelist, and trembling for her lover’s 
safety, had given an unwilling consent. 

“ Quite right, my dear,” the amiable Annibal ob- 
served. “You marry Brichet, and your sweetheart 
shall live.” 

Aurore did marry Brichet, bringing to the sacrifice 
so much sad resignation that even the captain had some 
faint twinges of remorse during the ceremony, saying 
to himself : 

“After all, Aurore is a good little girl, and if Brichet 
will only take to drinking, I will soon make her a 
widow.” 

And, indeed, Annibal was so intrepid a drinker that 
he was perfectly capable of putting his plan in execu- 
tion, as it was only after despatching a dozen bottles 
that his libations began to take effect. At first Brichet 
had been rather alarmed at the possession of such a 
father-in-law, but he soon secured immunity from his 


40 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


presence by given him a pension to live at a dis- 
tance. 

No sooner did the procurcur disappear than the irre- 
pressible captain returned, and under the pretext of 
protecting the two ladies, took up his abode in the 
Hotel Brichet. 

For him life had, indeed, become a paradise, and to 
eat, drink and be merry at the expense of the worthy 
procureur was now the aim and object of his existence. 
There was but one obstacle to his complete felicity. 
So long as the noisy captain and his companions con- 
tinued their carousals, Colard looked on with silent 
disapproval, and paid, without remonstrance, the 
monthly pension fixed by Brichet, although it had been 
granted on the distinct understanding that Fouquier 
should enjoy it at a distance ; but it was quite another 
affair when the captain demanded an addition to his 
income. 

“ You must double my pension, do your hear, you old 
fool ?” roared Annibal. 

“ I shall await my master’s orders.” 

“ But he has gone to the devil !” 

“Then we shall wait till he returns,” retorted the 
immovable Colard. 

Fouquier did his utmost to procure his dismissal, but 
Pauline, who loved the old servant, protected him, and 
the family notary would pay over Brichet’s revenues to 
no one else. 

The captain had tried to win over Aurore to his side, 
but she knew the perfect honesty of the valet, and, 
having had full experience of her father’s adminis- 
trative capacity, turned a deaf ear to all her father’s 
arguments. Colard, therefore, retained his position, 
and continued to hold the purse-strings with a firm 
hand, treating all Annibal’s threats and fury with 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


41 


severe contempt. Once only was he tempted to depart 
from his usual role of placid indifference, when Fou- 
quier, foaming with rage, had cried out : 

“ The moment we receive certain news of Brichet’s 
death, I shall sack you, neck and crop, you cursed 
old rascal, for that day my daughter will be absolute 
mistress here !” 

“And Miss Pauline, do you count her for nothing ?” 
asked Colard. 

“Oh, you can go to the devil, you and your Miss 
Pauline ! I shall sweep the house clean." 

At these words the old man fixed his gray eyes 
steadily on the Hercules and said to him, in a solemn 
voice : 

“Take care, captain !’’ 

“ Oh, indeed ! So you threaten me, do you — idiot ! 
Ha, ha ! Out with your big sword, you old donkey !” 

Colard shrugged his shoulders, and for all answer 
said : 

“ Who talks of swords ? With a very little drop of 
poison one can kill an ox a great deal stronger and 
bigger than you." 

This had been said with an air of such calm deter- 
mination and a look so dangerous, that Annibal could 
not help muttering to himself : 

“ And the old beggar would do it, too !” 

Such was the inner life of the Hotel Brichet on the 
day of Cartouche’s execution, when M. de Badieres had 
sent Colard to the Rue de la Bacherie with orders to 
give five knocks at a certain door. 

After the departure of the valet, the judge, left alone 
in the little parlor, looked at the clock and concluded 
that the ladies would probably be in the dining-room. 
He caused himself to be announced, and found them 
at table, in company with the captain, who, having 


42 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


passed the night in a gaming-house, had returned home 
to eat, his losses at play precluding the possibility of 
his appeasing his hunger elsewhere. The sublime 
Annibal was in a very bad humor, and solaced himself 
by swearing at the servants, while the two girls who sat 
opposite to him regarded his proceedings with the most 
perfect indifference. 

Feeling an intense repulsion for this w r ild animal 
who had taken up his quarters under the paternal roof, 
Pauline lived as if totally unaware of his existence. 
She w T as now dining in his company only because she 
was already seated at table when he entered ; for her 
repugnance to the man was so intense that, rather than 
endure his presence, she usually preferred having her 
meals served in the solitude of her own chamber. 

Aurore seemed unconscious of her father’s presence. 
That morning she had received a note which had thrown 
her into a state of most painful agitation. On its 
receipt she had retired to the pavilion in the garden, 
whence she emerged a few hours later, pale and trem- 
bling, and a prey to some deadly secret anguish, which 
rendered her oblivious to all outward things. 

As M. de Badieres entered the room, Pauline ran 
toward him and, embracing him affectionately, drew 
him to the table, ordering the servants to lay a cover 
for him. After his sleepless and fatiguing night, the 
judge felt in much need of sustenance, and gladly 
seated himself at the table to await Colard’s return. 
Annibal, who was unable to endure the sight of a mag- 
istrate with equanimity, subsided into abject silence, 
even his formidable appetite disappearing in the pres- 
ence of M. de Badieres. 

Despite all her efforts to control herself before her 
guest, Mme. Brichet could not succeed in distracting 
her thoughts from the subject that filled her with such 


MYSTERY OP HOTEL BRiCHET. 43 

grave anxiety. From time to time she was lost in a 
deep reverie, and once on recovering herself with an 
effort, said to the butler : 

“ Tell Golard I want to see him by and by.” 

“ He is out, madame,” replied the man. 

“ The beast is always out of the way when one wants 
him,” muttered Annibal. 

“ It is I who am answerable for his absence, madame. 
I took the liberty of sending him on an errand,” said 
M. De Badieres to Aurore, who accepted the explana- 
tion with a little bow and smile. 

The party was in the act of rising from the table, 
when a servant entered and announced the return of 
Colard. 

“ Very well, then you will tell him to wait for me 
here when he has finished all that M. Badieres re- 
quires.” 

And so saying, Mme. Brichet directed her steps 
toward the garden. 

She found her father waiting for her outside. 

“ Aurore, my dear, have you any little savings you 
could lend your poor father ?” whined the captain, in a 
piteous voice. 

“ Have you ever given me time to make any sav- 
ings ?” she answered dryly. 

“ Oh, but think, dear child, you must have two or 
three louis lying about somewhere !” 

Aurore could not repress a slight movement of 
contempt, which Annibal, mistaking for hesitation, at 
once tried to turn to his own advantage, and added 
quickly : 

“ I will give you back the money. On my word, I 
will ; the moment that blackguard pays me my pen- 
sion.” 

These words awakening some memory in the mind 


44 MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 

of Mme. Brichet, she looked coldly at her father, say- 
ing in a sarcastic voice : 

“ Ah ! So yon return money now that people have 
lent you, do you ?” 

And the captain answered, in a tone of injured inno- 
cence : 

“ Do you doubt the honor of your father, unhappy 
child ? He who — ” 

“ Then you had better pay the Baron De Cambiac 
the fifty thousand francs you robbed him of !” 

“ Where the mischief did the little wretch rake up 
that old story ?” muttered the astonished captain, 
whom his daughter left standing on the garden stair, 
where the above conversation had taken place ; but 
he quickly recovered himself, and watching Aurore 
enter the pavilion, said to himself : “ I should like 

to know why my dear and very miserly daughter 
has so often shut herself up in that little house all 
day.” 

Descending the stair, Fouquier, too, walked into the 
garden. 

After dinner M. de Badieres had retired to the draw- 
ing-room, where he found himself alone, when Colard 
entered breathless from his mission. The judge, who 
expected to find Colard a prey to the most painful agi- 
tation, was amazed at not seeing the slightest trace of 
emotion on his features. 

“ Well ?” asked the judge, inwardly trembling. 

“ Well, sir, finding the tinsmith’s house, I went up to 
the third story, where, sure enough, was the door with 
the slide. I gave the five knocks and then — ” 

“ Then the slide was opened cautiously and you gave 
the password ?” interrupted M. de Badieres. 

Instead of answering, Colard looked calmly at the 
judge and smiled. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


45 


“Speak, man !” cried the latter, beside himself with 
anxiety. 

“ Then it wasn’t a joke, sir?” asked Colard, amazed. 

“ What ?” 

“ This story of the slide and the name of 4 Vivonne ’ 
I was to give ?” 

“ Why, did not everything happen just as I told you 
it would ?” said the astonished judge. 

“ Not at all, sir. I had scarcely given the fifth knock 
when the door was opened by some one, who roared 
out : ‘ You seem to think I’m deaf !’ ” 

“ Was it the master of the house ?” 

“It was, sir.” 

“ Yes, sir, perfectly.” 

While puzzled at Colard’s report of his proceedings, 
the judge experienced the most heartfelt satisfaction 
on finding that Cartouche had so cleverly duped him. 

“Yes,” he said to himself, “ the wretch must have 
known somehow that Brichet and I were the dearest 
friends, and he thought before dying he would give me 
this terrible fright.” 

But his doubts returned when Colard said that the 
man was known to him. 

“ You say you knew the man ?” 

“ I should rather think so, sir. I have seen him 
about this house for many a long year.” 

“Ah !” exclaimed the magistrate, not having courage to 
pursue his inquiries ; but the valet continued simply : 

“ I then gave him your extraordinary message, word 
for word.” 

“ And he agreed to go instantly ?” 

“ Well, sir, he didn’t exactly promise that, for he 
said that before running away he must know the reason 
why, and to-morrow he is going to your house with his 
wife and children to ask you, sir.” 


46 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BR1CHET. 


It would be impossible to describe the blank amaze- 
ment of M. de Badieres on hearing the announcement. 

“ What !” he cried, “ his wife and children ? Then 
you are not speaking of Brichet.” 

It was now the turn of Colard to stare at the judge 
in open-eyed wonder. 

“ Why, sir, you never thought you were sending me 
to seek my lamented master !” 

“ But whom did you see ?” 

“ Chauvel, the slater, who worked here until the fall 
that disabled him.” 

“And how long has he lived in that house in the 
Rue de la Bacherie ?” 

“ Six years, sir.” 

“ M. de Badieres heaved a sigh of relief, now per- 
fectly convinced that Cartouche had merely practiced 
on his credulity. Feeling that some explanation was due 
to Colard, he related to him, in a few words all that 
had happened. 

Colard listening intently and exclaiming, from time 
to time : 

“ Oh, the villain ! Oh, the scoundrel !” 

The magistrate had scarcely finished his recital 
when Pauline entered the drawing-room, and at the 
same moment Madame Brichet reappeared from the 
garden, closely followed by the captain, who was 
grumbling, under his big mustache : 

“ Ah, my lady, I ’ll find out what you are up to in 
that mysterious pavilion !” 

“ M. de Badieres,” said Aurore, “ may I now use 
Colard ?” 

The judge bowed in reply, and the major-domo at 
once followed his mistress to a distant corner of the 
room. She was about to speak to him, when a servant 
entering, said : 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


47 


“A gentleman to see the captain.” 

Aurore, not wishing in the presence of the judge 
to refuse admission to one of her father’s friends, re- 
plied : 

“ Show him in.” 

A few moments later the door was reopened, and 
the lackey announced : 

“ Monsieur le Chevalier de Lozeril.” 

The chevalier entered with a bold look and haughty 
mien, one hand on the hilt of his sword. At his name 
Aurore trembled. Deadly pale, her eyes riveted on the 
young man, she had totally forgotten her commission 
for Colard, 




CHAPTER VI. 

On entering the salon , M. de Lozeril at first saw only 
the colossal figure of the captain. Believing him to be 
alone, he exclaimed : 

“ My dear Annibal ! I am going to fight in an hour 
and I want you as my second !” 

A significant look from Fouquier checked De Lozeril, 
who, seeing he had been imprudent, quickly turned, his 
eyes falling on the others whom, in his eagerness, he 
had overlooked. To the right were Aurore and Colard, 
and on the left, near the windows, M. de Badieres and 
Pauline. With infinite grace the chevalier saluted first 
Madame Brichet who, pale and with teeth clenched, 
scarcely returned his bow, but her eyes, meeting for 
an instant those of the chevalier, shot forth a gleam of 
such bitter hate, that the young man said to himself : 

“ By Jove ! Here ’s a pretty woman who is certainly 
not in love with me !” 

Then turning toward Pauline he was struck by her 
noble and sympathetic beauty. 

At this moment Colard, bending respectfully toward 
Madame Brichet, said in a low voice : 

“ Madame was about to give me an order.” 

The chevalier’s arrival had evidently changed the 
intention of Aurore, who' replied in the same tone : 

. [48] 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 49 

“Yes, but a little later, don't go away.” 

Colard bowed and proceeded to arrange the fire 
while Madame Brichet, crossing the room, walked 
slowly in the direction of her father. The prospect of 
wounds and bloodshed was so enticing for the captain 
that nothing could have given him greater pleasure 
than a duel. Delighted at having been chosen for De 
Lozeril’s second, he seized his sword and hat. 

“ I am at your service, chevalier,” he said, hurriedly 
clasping his sword-belt, but De Lozeril, fascinated by 
the beauty of Pauline, answered in a low voice : 

“ Oh, we have lots of time, captain. A circumstance 
that I will explain to you postpones my duel twenty- 
four hours.” 

And so saying, he directed his steps toward Pauline, 
thinking meanwhile of something agreeable to say to 
the young lady. 

Although the practice of dueling was regarded by the 
authorities with the utmost indulgence in those days of 
license, yet M. de Badieres could scarcely, in his ca- 
pacity of magistrate, countenance the impending com- 
bat. Therefore, choosing to ignore all he had heard 
and desiring to absent himself before anything more 
decisive should occur* he quietly arose and called for 
his cloak. 

Although the chevalier was apparently a most cap- 
tivating person, there was, as we have said, something 
in his manner that inspired an instinctive repulsion, 
and it was doubtless this feeling that actuated Pauline, 
on his approach, to whisper to the judge : 

“ Don’t leave me.” 

At the same moment Madame Brichet had said to 
her father, in a voice broken by emotion : 

“ For God’s sake, keep that man here !” 

The captain’s virtues would have been incomplete 


50 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


had he not possessed, among his other brilliant qual- 
ities, the art of seizing on the wing of any occasion 
that presented itself for the extortion of a few crowns. 
He, therefore, assumed an aspect of suavity, answering 
at the same time, in a doleful voice : 

“ You ask me to do you a favor ! You, who just now 
refused to give a miserable louis to your unfortunate 
father !” 

“ Try to keep your friend here for the rest of the 
day and I will pay you thirty louis,’' she said. 

“ But when, beloved daughter ?” growled the cap- 
tain, who liked precision in money matters — in others. 

“ In an hour.” 

“ Well, spoiled child, of course I must do as you wish,” 
sighed the fond father. 

All this did not occupy one-quarter of the time nec- 
essary for its narration, and Colard was still arranging 
the fire, when the judge called for his cloak. 

“ Yes, M. De Badieres,” replied the old servant. 

As this name fell on De Lozeril’s ear, the chevalier, 
who was about to address Pauline, turned toward the 
magistrate and said, with a smile : 

“ Ah, sir ! I have almost the right to owe you a 
grudge.” 

“ Why so, chevalier ?” asked the judge, surprised. 

“Was it not you who received the confession of Car- 
touche last night ?” 

“ It was.” 

“Well, it was your examination that occasioned the 
stupid quarrel about which I have come to fetch the 
captain.” 

At these words Annibal burst into a loud laugh. 

“Oh, no,” cried he, “as if De Lozeril was a man to 
think about one duel more or less ! I have seen him 
at work often enough to guess how much his adver- 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


51 


sary’s life will be worth. Ah ! He has a certain 
thrust that has always excited my envy.” 

At her father’s words, poor Madame Brichet shud- 
dered, while Pauline affected neither to see nor hear 
De Lozeril, although she felt that his bold eyes were 
fixed on her, as he continued gayly : 

“ Of course, I was only joking, M. de Badieres, and 
vre all owe you a debt of gratitude for your zeal in de- 
livering us from the band of ruffians that followed 
Cartouche, for I understand that his accusations were 
very numerous.” 

“ True,” replied the judge, “ and he not only con- 
fessed the murders already known to us, but he also 
gave us the details of all the others.” 

“ Not all, I think,” added De Lozeril, doubtfully. 

“ Yes^ all,” maintained the judge. 

“ Well, so much the better, for I shall be glad to 
know the end of a most mysterious affair of which I 
was one night the involuntary witness, and which later 
looked to me like a murder.” 

“ Where did it happen ?” asked M. de Badieres. 

“ Just about thirty yards from this very house, in the 
middle of the Rue des Deux Ponts.” 

“ But Cartouche told me nothing about any crime 
being committed in this neighborhood,” said the magis- 
trate, surprised. 

“ And I am absolutely certain of what I myself wit- 
nessed,” persisted the chevalier. 

“ How was it then that you never informed the 
police ?” asked M. de Badieres, assuming, unconsciously, 
his role of judge. 

“ You are right, sir, but instead of answering your 
question, it will be better for me to relate the whole 
adventure,” and turning to Colard, who now entered 
with the judge’s cloak, De Lozeril said : 


52 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ Bring* me an arm-chair, my good man.” 

Colard, obeying, retired to a corner of the room, 
where he remained, listening to the chevalier’s recital. 
Since the disappearance of his master, the good man 
was ever on the watch for the merest trifle that might 
give a clue to his discovery. 

“ Two years ago,” began De Lozeril, “ I belonged to 
the squadron of light dragoons in garrison at Blois, 
under the command of Captain Fouquier, and had 
come to Paris on leave of absence. My leave having 
expired, some of my friends invited me for the last 
evening to a little supper at a tavern in this neighbor- 
hood. When I left them at midnight, I confess my head 
was pretty heavy ; still I was sober enough to know 
my way to my lodgings. It was a freezing night — ” 

“ Two years ago !” At these words Colard started and 
Pauline allowed her embroidery to fall from hef hands, 
for that was the very night of Bricliet’s disappearance. 

De Lozeril, remarking the agitation of three of the 
listeners, turned around to observe if his statement had 
similarly affected the other two. He again encoun- 
tered the look of hate flashing from Aurore’s beautiful 
eyes. Her fingers were clasped convulsively, and her 
great shining eyes were fixed on De Lozeril full of 
anger and detestation. 

“ What the deuce can I have done to this woman ?” 
thought De Lozeril, looking toward the captain. But 
Annibal had fallen into a nap. 

The magistrate was the first to recover his equa- 
nimity. 

“ Excuse our emotion, Monsieur de Lozeril,” he said. 
“ Your story has awakened a most painful recollection 
of something that happened in this family at exactly 
th’e same time.” 

“ Oh, when I named the precise day, it was merely 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 53 

to explain that the cold had affected my brain, already 
somewhat excited by wine. Well, I pursued my way. 
At the end of this street there is a square where, moved 
by a tipsy caprice, I sat down on a bench. Overcome 
by the cold, I was just going- to sleep, when a gust of 
wind caused me suddenly to open my eyes, and I saw 
a most extraordinary sight. A man, walking so silently 
that he must have been without shoes, appeared before 
me, carrying on his back a burden so heavy that he 
bent beneath the weight.” 

“ Which way did he come ?” inquired M. de Badieres. 

“ I cannot say. When I first saw him he was in the 
center of the square.” 

Agitated by a tumult of feeling she could not con- 
trol, Pauline listened to the chevalier’s story with rapt 
attention. Colard had left his corner and stood gazing 
at De Lozeril with open mouth, drinking in every word 
he said, while Mme. Brichet sat silent in her chair, 
still staring angrily at the narrator. He continued : 

“ I was dressed in black, and as I sat perfectly still 
on the bench, the man could not possibly have seen me, 
when suddenly a drunken fancy came into my head 
which even now makes me laugh to think of it. The 
man halted in front of me to rest. Just as he was 
about to make a new start, I suddenly emerged from 
my obscurity, crying out : 

“ ‘ Hello, you rascal, throw down that thing you are 
carrying and take me up instead, and if you land me 
at my lodging I ’ll give you a crown.’ And catching 
hold of the coarse linen wrapper that enveloped his 
burden, I tried to drag it from his shoulders. 

“ On hearing a voice behind him, the man fled with a 
shriek of terror, his bundle falling to the ground.” 

“ In what direction did he run ?” cried the judge, 
eagerly. “ This time you must have seen.” 


54 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRlCttET. 


“ Ah, sir, I no more saw where he went than whence 
he came.” 

“ But was not the moon shining ?” urged his in- 
quisitor. 

“ Yes ; but the man, on taking to flight, let fall his 
burden, which fell on me and knocked me over.” 

“ Then the unknown man escaped ?” 

“ Yes, and so quickly that when I recovered myself 
there was not a trace of him. I could not even hear 
his footsteps.” 

“ He could not have gone very far ?” 

“ No. He must have remained near, watching for 
my departure. I abandoned all idea of following him, 
and turned to go home, when I stumbled over the 
bundle. I pulled aside the cover and started back.” 

“ It was a corpse ?” said M. de Badieres, excitedly. 

“ A corpse ! Well, not exactly, for the victim’s lips 
moved convulsively. But if not actually dead, he cer- 
tainly was next door to it, and must very recently have 
received the wound that was still bleeding freely.” 

“ Where was he wounded ?” 

“ There, at the base of the neck near the left shoul- 
der, a little to the back.” 

“ Do you think that the man who fled was the assas- 
sin ?” 

“ I ’m sure of it ; and I am certain he was going to 
pitch the body into the Seine, never doubting his vic- 
tim was dead.” 

“ And what did you do to succor the dying man ?” 

De Lozeril did not reply at once, but, after a little 
hesitation, went on : 

“ Well, to tell the truth, I thought no more about 
him. I was very drunk ; and although fear is almost 
unknown to me, yet on this occasion I was seized with 
a most overpowering terror on finding myself alone 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


55 


with this body streaming with blood. Taking to flight, 
I ran at such a furious pace that I dashed against a 
man and sent him rolling into the gutter.” 

“ It was doubtless the murderer, who had returned 

. f — 7 

to see what had become of his victim,”' suggested M. 
de Badieres. 

“ I don’t know. But the upsetting of that man was 
my last remembrance of the night’s adventure. What 
happened after I cannot tell, and how I found my inn I 
know not. The next morning I found myself lying on 
my bed in all my clothes, and was told by one of the 
servants that I had been taken up senseless at the door 
of the house.” 

“ But why did you not go and make a statement be- 
fore a magistrate ?” 

“ Because, as I have already said, my leave had ex- 
pired and I was forced to join my regiment. After a 
few hours of heavy sleep, I was in the saddle, leaving 
Paris behind me, and I thought no more of my advent- 
ure until the following evening, when the whole affair 
recurred to my memory. So confused was the recol- 
lection, however, that I really thought it must be all a 
dream, and probably to this day I should have looked 
upon the incident as merely a tipsy inspiration, had not 
a most startling proof of its reality presented itself.” 

“ What proof ?” asked the judge. 

“ A few moments before leaving Paris I took off the 
clothes I had worn at the supper and threw them 
hastily into a valise. On arriving at Blois and taking 
out my coat, I discovered a large stain of blood on the 
right sleeve, a most convincing proof that I had not 
been dreaming, but that I had in reality held in my 
arms the body of a murdered man. Finally I came to 
the conclusion that the murder must be attributed to 
Cartouche ; and last night when you took his deposi- 


56 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


tion, I hoped it would throw some light on this un- 
known crime, committed two years ago just at the back 
of this house.” 

“ No, Cartouche mentioned nothing connected with 
the He St. Louis,” returned M. de Badieres. 

“ Nevertheless, the murder did take place,” insisted 
the chevalier, “ and at this moment I see distinctly be- 
fore me the very face of the murdered man.” 

On hearing this statement the judge started and, 
rising from his chair, said : 

“Colard, quick, a light !” 

M. de Badieres drew forth the bracelet which he had 
taken at the examination of Cartouche. At the sight 
of this jewel, which had been stolen from her, Pauline 
could not repress a cry of startled emotion. 

“ Oh, my beloved father’s portrait !” 

These words awakened Madame Brichet from the 
reverie in which she was plunged. She advanced 
toward the group standing around the table and, fixing 
her eyes on the bracelet, she murmured in a low voice : 

“ My husband !” 

The commotion had awakened the captain who, 
stretching himself, asked with a smothered yawn : 

“What ? Are you. speaking of my son-in-law ? Have 
you had any news of him ?” 

But no one answered, and the judge, handing the 
bracelet to the chevalier, said in an anxious voice : 

“ Monsieur de Lozeril, will you have the goodness to 
say whether the miniature in this locket is the portrait 
of the man whom you saw dying a few paces from this 
house ?” 

On taking the bracelet in his hand, the chevalier 
cast a rapid glance on the two young women standing 
before him. On Pauline’s countenance he saw nothing 
but the most agonizing sorrow, but it seemed to him 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 57 

that a slight shudder convulsed for a moment the lace 
of Mme. Brichet, behind whom appeared the sleepy 
visage of Annibal. Leaning toward the candle, the 
young man examined the portrait attentively and in 
silence. After a minute, which seemed terribly long 
to those awaiting his verdict, he raised his eyes, and 
fixing them on Aurore, said, in a calm and steady 
voice : 

“ I do not know this man !” 

When he had drawn near to the light his face was 
turned away from the judge, but it was fully visible to 
Colard, and the latter had instantly noted the look of 
astonishment that passed over the young man’s fea- 
tures at the sight of the portrait. 

“ He has lied !” said Colard to himself 



CHAPTER VIE 

An hour later the captain and De Lozeril were seated 
at supper before a sumptuously spread table, in the 
quarter of the hotel where Annibal had pitched his 
tent. The worthy captain was in excellent humor, 
being in possession of the thirty louis promised by 
Aurore. 

“ My dear fellow,” he said, “ the wine is good, the 
cookery excellent, and we have only to enjoy our- 
selves.” 

But De Lozeril made poor response to this hospitable 
appeal, and though drinking freely, seemed so preoc- 
cupied that the captain could not but remark his ab- 
sence of mind, and said : 

“ Can it be that the prospect of your duel makes you 
so dull ?” 

The chevalier shrugged his shoulders disdainfully. 

“ Ah, no ! But I quite forgot to thank you for con- 
senting to be my second.” 

“ Pray don’t speak of it,” replied the captain. 

“ I was thinking this morning,” continued the cheva- 
lier, “ whom I should select, when the Marquise De 
Brageron said to me : ‘ Why don’t you ask Fouquier, 

your late captain ; he used to be famous at this kind 
of thing, but perhaps the luxurious life he leads now 
has demoralized him.’ ” 

r 58 j 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


59 


“The fact is, I do lead a pretty easy life,” replied 
Annibal, smiling. 

“ Apparently. The marquise told me that you had 
married your daughter to an immensely rich man and 
now lived at his expense in a state of blissful idleness. 
But she added : ‘You could not find a better second 
than my old friend Fouquier.’ ” 

“ Somewhat remarkable that the marquise should 
call me her old friend, when in her husband’s time she 
was polite enough to declare I was a horrid beast who 
ruined the character of the marquis,” thought the cap- 
tain, surprised. 

“ I therefore came here by the advice of this most 
charming woman,” contiuued De Lozeril. 

“ Oh, ho ! most charming woman !” laughed 
Fouquier. “ And so this Iris of intrigue interests her- 
self about your duels, does she ? I thought that sub- 
ject was discussed only by men. Y ou and your charming 
woman must be uncommonly good friends.” 

After a moment’s hesitation the chevalier answered : 

“ I believed myself this morning madly in love ^ith 
her. Now I have changed my mind.” 

“ And yet the marquise is very rich and extremely 
liberal,” said the captain. 

“ So she is, but she is only a bird in the bush, and I 
need a more stable arrangement.” With which commen- 
tary on the morals of the day the chevalier arose from 
table and seated himself before the fireplace. 

Annibal followed his example, saying in a bantering 
tone : 

“ My dear fellow, you seem out of spirits to-night, 
and when one is in low spirits he is usually hard up.” 

For answer De Lozeril, putting a hand in each 
pocket, drew forth two immense bundles of bank-notes 
and placed them on a little table by his side ; then 


60 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


once more plunging - his hands into his pockets produced 
two handfuls of louis. 

At this sight Annibal uttered a cry of greedy 
admiration. 

“ On my word,” said he, “ a good round sum.” 

“Yes, about ten thousand crowns. Since yesterday 
I have had the most astounding run of good luck. All 
last night at the Broc d’ Or I did nothing but win, and 
my lucky vein was not exhausted on leaving the tavern, 
for on going into the gaming house in the Rue des 
Bons Enfants, I met the Marquis de Brancas, who had 
just received from the regent twenty thousand francs 
to quiet the most clamorous of his creditors.” 

“ And you filched it from him ?” 

“ In a twinkling ; so you see, my friend, the want of 
money doesn’t trouble me.” 

The sight of so much money apparently fascinated 
Annibal. 

“ Why, what ’s that ?” he asked, pointing to one of the 
packets of notes that was pierced through and through. 

De Lozeril burst out laughing. 

“ Oh, that’ s a little precaution I take whenever I 
play with the very honest habituds of the gaming- 
house where I met the Marquis de Brancas. One very 
windy day they conceived the happy idea of opening 
two opposite windows to produce a strong draft, and 
the wind carried off my bank-notes to the tune of a 
thousand crowns.” 

“ Rather a good idea,” was Annibal’s inward comment. 

“ Ever since that day,” continued the chevalier, “ I 
take good care when I play for bank-notes invariably 
to fasten them to the table with this little poniard which 
you see I always carry. Besides protecting my money 
from any tricks the wind might play, it is also an ex- 
cellent preservative against mistakes so often made at 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL RRICHET. 


61 


the gaming-table by people who are not quite sure 
whether money belongs to them or not. That, my 
dear friend, is the reason why these two bundles of 
notes are each pierced through and through.” 

“ I wonder,” said the captain, still devouring the 
money with his eyes, “ whether a few poor louis I have 
in my pocket may resist your wonderful luck. Have 
we time ?” 

“ Plenty of time, captain ; for my duel is postponed 
twenty-four hours to facilitate the payment of a debt 
due me.” 

A smile hovered for a moment on the lips of De 
Lozeril at Annibal’s proposal to play, but the latter was 
so busily occupied in preparing the table that it passed 
unobserved. The chevalier had been perfectly con- 
sistent in stating to Fouquier that he thought no more 
of the marquise. At the first sight of Pauline he had 
conceived a passion for her. Not that he- thought of 
utterly abandoning the marquise, for she was too rich 
a prey to be hastily relinquished, but in his base calcu- 
lations and eagerness for wealth it had suddenly 
occurred to him that he might possibly secure the hand 
of Pauline, and with it, her immense fortune, in which 
event he could then sacrifice the marquise. 

But to the captain and his game of cards. In ten 
minutes De Lozeril had won all his thirty louis. 

“ If I am lucky, it is certainly not at play,” growled 
Fouquier. 

“ Bah ! What is it to you whether you win or lose ? 
Is not your position a hundred fold better than mine, 
however lucky I may be with the cards ?” 

“ My position ! What position ?” asked the captain, 
at a loss to know what De Lozeril was driving at. 

“ Come, come, you are too modest. Your talents are 
worthy of great admiration.” 


62 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ My talents !” reiterated the puzzled captain. 

“Very clever management, I should say, for you, 
without fortune, to get into your clutches a son-in-law 
who is a millionaire.” 

Annibal burst out laughing, and said : 

“ Yes ! I daresay you give me credit for a genius 
that I do not possess, but the whole affair was the 
merest accident. My daughter was in love with a 
young man to whom I had already promised her. He 
had even given me a pretty large sum of money.” 

“ What ! He gave you money ? What do you 
mean ?” asked De Lozeril, in a tone of surprise. 

Annibal retrieved himself quickly, saying : 

“ No, no, I don’t mean that. This is how it was : In 
marrying my daughter I had nothing to give her but — ” 

Here the captain began to think what it was that he 
had to bestow on his daughter at her marriage. De 
Lozeril supplied the words : 

“ But an honorable name !” 

“ Yes, yes,” cried the captain, “ that ’s it exactly ! I 
could not, of course, bestow her hand on a young man 
without fortune. The man she loved, a Gascon, was 
apparently not rich, and I demanded some proof of his 
means. He began by putting into my hands a good 
round sum on account.” 

“That’s an exhibition of innocence one would hardly 
expect in a Gascon.” 

“ Oh, indeed ! Well, he went away to his own coun- 
try to realize on his property and bring it back in good 
gold crowns, but in the meantime Brichet appeared 
with his millions.” 

“ And, of course, you accepted him, notwithstanding 
your word to the other man.” 

“ Why not ? I was bound before all things to think 
of my daughter’s happiness.” 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET 


63 


“ And a little of your own, eh, captain ?” 

“ Yes, one must think of one’s self sometimes in this 
wretched world.” 

“ Then, when the Gascon came back you returned 
him his money ?” 

The captain hesitated, and then replied : 

“ Oh — yes— certainly I gave it to him, and with very 
good interest, too.” 

“ Swindler !” said De Lozeril to himself. 

“ So you see,” continued Annibal, “how little I had 
to do with my daughter’s marriage.” 

“ But at least, if your abilities did not procure you a 
rich son-in-law, they seem to have been available in 
securing your position on a good solid basis.” 

“ No, indeed ; I have done nothing.” 

“ What ! You have done nothing for yourself ?” 

“Well, I did my best to have Brichet make a little 
. will in favor of Aurore, but I don’t know whether he 
ever did it, for just then he disappeared.” 

“ And you have done nothing since ?” 

“ No, that ’s all.” 

“ Ah, captain, you are indulging in mysteries with 
your friend.” 

“ But what the devil should I have done ?” cried the 
astonished captain. 

“ Oh, I see that you want me to assist your mem- 
ory !” 

Annibal laughed, as he replied : 

“ Tell me what you imagine I may have done, for I 
am at a loss to know.” 

“ You have murdered Brichet, my dear Annibal,” 
said De Lozeril coldly, looking the captain straight in 
the eyes. 

If the chevalier had expected to terrify Fouquier by 
this accusation, he was sorely disappointed, for the 


64 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRlCHET. 


captain simply threw himself back in his chair and 
roared with laughter. 

“ Then you really think my son-in-law has been mur- 
dered ?” asked Annibal. 

“ Did you not hear that tragic story of a murder 
that I told M. De Badieres ?” 

“ Very little of it, for I was sound asleep, but I woke 
up in time to hear the end, and that explained all the 
rest.” 

“Well, that murdered man, I tell you, was Brichet.” 

“You don’t mean it !” 

“ I do.” 

“Then, chevalier, why did you not recognize the 
portrait when it was shown to you ?” asked the cap- 
tain, suddenly becoming serious. 

At this, question De Lozeril again looked Fouquier 
steadily in the face, but the tranquil look of simple 
curiosity and the utter absence of fear in the captain 
seemed to disarrange the chevalier’s secret plan, and 
he replied, hesitatingly : 

“Because I feared, in recognizing the portrait, to 
compromise an old friend.” 

“ Oh, oh ! My dear chevalier, there you are, beginning 
your jokes again ! Come now, De Lozeril, let us dis- 
cuss the affair seriously. Brichet neither drank nor 
gambled ; nor had he the courage of a hare. In fact, 
he was an utter idiot, for whom I wouldn’t give that !” 
And Annibal snapped his fingers. “Now, when one 
kills a man, it is usually from one of three motives : 
Revenge, fear or love of gain. Which of these three 
motives could I possibly have had to rid myself of a 
being so useful to me ? Besides, the good fellow was 
really too inoffensive to inspire me with the slightest 
fear, therefore of the three motives, two are already 
out of the question, fear and vengeance.” 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


65 


“ But the third remains, my gallant captain. The 
love of gain. What have you to say to that ?” inter- 
rupted De Lozeril, with an evil smile. 

“ Let us see. I was in the most abject poverty when 
Brichet came to ask my daughter’s hand. I admit that 
I saw at once the advantage of catching the ball when 
it lay at my feet, and I made things comfortable for 
myself by having a clause inserted in the marriage con- 
tract, by which I was assured a handsome pension for 
life, to be paid over to me in any case, whether Brichet 
lived, died, travelled or disappeared. Therefore, you 
see I should have gained nothing whatever by sending 
the good man to another world.” 

“ Nevertheless, he has been murdered.” 

“ In that case, some one else has done it, not I.” 

“ Well, whose interest would it be to suppress your 
son-in-law ? Could it be his daughter Pauline ?” 

“Oh, no ! Much as I detest that girl, I am certain 
she is absolutely incapable of such a crime !” cried the 
captain, heartily. 

“ Or the old valet ?” 

“ Never ! He would give his life for Brichet.” 

“ Let us seek elsewhere then,” said De Lozeril, 
slowly, as if weighing his words. “ The death of Brichet 
must have been an advantage to some one.” 

All at once a light broke on the captain’s intelligence. 

“ By Jove !” said he, “ you know how to use the foils, 
young man, and you can make very pretty feints before 
you give the real thrust.” 

De Lozeril assumed an air of amazement. 

“ 1 don’t understand you,” he said. 

“ I mean to say that you began by accusing the father 
that you might arrive more surely at accusing the 
daughter.” 

“Oh, come, Annibal ! How could you conceive it 


66 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


possible that I should think of such a thing !” exclaimed 
the chevalier, reproachfully. 

But the captain laughed no more. Feeling vaguely 
that a danger threatened Aurore, a chord of feeling 
vibrated in his usually callous and brutal nature. 

“ Well, my friend, seeing that your daughter’s name 
has by accident been introduced, suppose we discuss 
for a moment her prospects with regard to Brichet,” 
remarked the young man quietly. 

“You see very well you are accusing my child,” 
retorted the captain, with a look of angry menace. 

“ Not at all, I assure you, not at all,” declared De 
Lozeril. 

“ Whom else, then ?” 

“ That we shall very soon arrive at, if you will only 
answer my questions. In marrying Brichet, your 
daughter must have had some settlement ?” 

“ Yes. He put aside a sum of two hundred thousand 
francs for her own use.” 

“ And for the future, what provision was there ?” 

“ He promised to make a will, leaving her every- 
thing, excepting a handsome dowry for Pauline. This 
will ought to have been drawn the very day of his dis- 
appearance, for that morning Brichet was closeted with 
his notary.” 

At this answer an evil smile passed over the cheva- 
lier’s face, and, shaking his head, he cried : 

“ My word ! They were in such a precious hurry to 
get at the money that they didn’t lose much time in 
killing the old fellow !” 

The captain stared in amazement. 

“ They," he said. “ Whom do you mean by they ?" 

“ Ah, my friend, don’t pretend you don’t see it !” 

“ I’ll be hanged if I do ! What do you mean by your 
mysterious ‘ they ’ ?” roared Fouquier. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


6? 


“ Why, don’t you see who it was, who thought by 
killing Brichet he would kill two birds with one 
stone ?” 

“ Gad ! You must tell me, for I give it up !” 

“ My excellent friend, have you forgotten the Gas- 
con ?” 

“ Gascon ! What Gascon ?” asked Annibal, taken 
aback. 

“ Why, the Gascon to whom you had promised your 
daughter, to be sure, and who, wishing to regain his 
lost fiancee , took this means of rendering her at once a 
widow and a millionairess.” 

The captain stared at De Lozeril in terror, and the 
latter continued : 

“For you see, there is actually no proof that this 
disappointed lover did not seek to rekindle the flame so 
brutally extinguished by your throwing him over.” 

“ Rubbish, utter rubbish ! Aurore has totally for- 
gotten him, that I swear !” cried Fouquier, outwardly 
calm, but inwardly tortured by the suspicion the 
young man’s words had aroused. 

“ Well, captain, it may be rubbish, but you and I know 
very well that a woman married against her will often 
retains a warm and secret friendship for some one she 
likes better than the husband who has been forced on 
her.” 

In spite of himself Annibal felt troubled. These 
words recalled but too vividly to his mind the myste- 
rious visits to that closed pavilion, where that very 
morning he had been prowling about in hopes of dis- 
covering Aurore’s secret. 

The chevalier had scarcely ceased speaking when 
Fouquier, rising from his chair, drew himself up to his 
immense height. Without saying a word he glared 
darkly and fiercely at the young man seated before 


68 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


him ; although not understanding the full import of 
De Lozeril’s hints, he yet scented a terrible danger 
threatening Aurore, and was not slow to perceive that 
his companion was brewing some deadly mischief. 

“ Thunder and lightning,” he said to himself, “ the 
blackguard is setting an ugly trap for us. Wouldn’t 
it be wise to crush this viper before he has time to 
bite ?” 

To all appearance calm and smiling, the chevalier 
watched his companion intently, and instantly saw the 
peril in which he stood. 

“Aha,” he said to himself, “ the sweet Aurore has 
got the Gascon to murder Brichet, and I have discov- 
ered that secret. That ’s a good card for me to play, 
unless this ruffian first gives me a knock on the head.” 

Unfortunately he was not in a condition to parry a 
knock on the head if the captain were so minded, for 
his sword lay at the other side of the room, where he 
had thrown it on entering. He therefore rose, still 
smiling, and in a leisurely manner walked toward it, 
but keeping an eye on Fouquier, and quite prepared 
to elude him by an agile spring should he make any 
effort to restrain him. But Annibal, absorbed in 
thought, allowed him to pass without notice. 

“One’s legs get cramped sitting still so long,” re- 
marked the young man, taking a few steps up and 
down the room and then proceeding carelessly in the 
direction of his sword. 

It was a critical moment, but Annibal did not stir. 

“ Saved !” thought De Lozeril to himself, turning 
round to face his companion as he clasped the belt. 
But Fouquier was no longer there. He had passed 
swiftly through the door, locking it behind him as he 
went out, and crying to the chevalier in a mocking 
tone ; 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


69 


“ Have a little patience, my friend. You have told 
me so many queer stories that I must think them over 
by myself. I ’ll come back again,” and the sound of 
Annibal’s heavy footsteps died away in the distance. 

“ Damn it !” said De Lozeril. “ I ’ve let myself into 
a nice trap. The old devil has gone to consult his 
daughter, and there being no one near to help me, 
he ’ll come back presently and cut my throat.” And 
drawing his sword from its sheath, he swished it 
through the air. “After all,” he continued, “ with this 
in my hand, he won’t find me a chicken so easy to 
bleed.” 

All at once he stood motionless. A faint sound had 
put him on the alert. He heard some one coming 
stealthily up the stair. The muffled footsteps paused 
on the landing, and the door gave a slight crack, as if 
some one leaned against it, then opened slowly, and a 
face appeared, pale and anxious. 

“ Good God ! Colard, is that you ?” cried De Lozeril, 
seizing him by the arm. 

“ God be praised, sir !” ejaculated the trembling 
major-domo. “You are still alive.” 

“ And why the mischief should you think me dead ?” 

“ Oh, sir, I thought the captain had done something 
awful, when I passed him he looked so fierce.” 

“ Let me out of this cursed trap as quickly as pos- 
sible,” said De Lozeril. He made a step toward the 
door, but stopped, changing his mind. “ No !” he said 
resolutely. “ By Jove, here I am and here I stay ! I 
shall go through with this affair.” And turning to 
Colard, he said : “ So you think the captain capable of 
murder ?” 

“ Sir, that villain is capable of anything. I have 
thought so ever since he threatened to turn Miss Paul- 
ine out of her own house ; for this hotfse belongs to 


70 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


her, and not to those cursed interlopers who enjoy 
themselves at her expense.” 

An expression of such implacable hatred showed 
itself on Colard’s face that the chevalier was inspired 
by a sudden idea. 

“ Oh, ho !” he thought. “ It appears that the father 
and daughter are not precisely beloved by this old fool. 
He may prove useful in helping me to manage Master 
Annibal.” 

Assuming an expression of surprise, he said : 

“ I little suspected the danger I was in ; but what I 
want to know is why the captain should want to kill 
me.” 

Colard hesitated an instant ; then looking De Loze- 
ril searchingly in the face, answered slowly : 

“ Because of that portrait shown to you by the judge, 
that you pretended not to recognize.” 

“ How ? Pretended ? Why should I have pretended 
not to know it ?” 

“ Doubtless because you were afraid of accusing the 
captain.” 

“ Accusing him of what ?” 

“ Of the assassination of my master. If the portrait 
was really that of the murdered man, there can be no 
doubt as to the fate of M. Brichet. In that case we 
should then seek to fasten the crime on those who had 
an interest in his death.” 

De Lozeril burst into a loud laugh, saying : 

“ My good fellow, your devotion to Brichet is turn- ' 
ingyour brain. The captain has not the slightest idea 
of the delightful suspicions he inspires.” 

Not noticing the chevalier’s raillery, Colard con- 
tinued : 

“ So there was really no resemblance between the 
portrait and the mtirdered man ?” 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


71 


“ Not the faintest.” 

“ And for these four hours that you and the captain 
have been shut up here, has he never referred to it ?” 

“ Not by a single word,” and De Lozeril pointed to 
the table, littered with cards, gold and bank-notes. 
“ There !” said he. “ If Annibal appeared furious, 
it was merely rage at his losses, and he is now praba- 
bly on his way to get some more money from Mme. 
Brichet.” 

“ Then why did he lock you in, sir ?” 

“ Oh, that was only forgetfulness ; he was doubtless 
thinking of his bad luck. By the way, Colard, I want 
. you to do me a service. If the captain succeeds in 
getting some money from his daughter, he will be here 
with it directly to seek revenge, and we may sit here 
playing the whole night long. Now I have an engage- 
ment elsewhere, and my friend will be exceedingly 
anxious if I do not return, so I want you to carry a 
little note explaining my absence.” 

“ Certainly, sir,” said the valet, bowing. 

Seating himself, De Lozeril wrote : 

“ Being at this moment in peril of my life, I write this state- 
ment, trusting it will be given into the hands of justice in the case 
of my meeting with a violent death. I shall then have been the 
victim of Captain Fouquier and his daughter, Mme. Brichet, who 
thus hope to preserve the secret of the death of M. Brichet, whom 
they have murdered. Their crime has been revealed to me to- 
day by a portrait shown to me by the judge, M. De Badieres, 
which I declare is the exact likeness of the murdered man, whose 
story I this day recounted. I did not then confess the truth, be- 
cause I was actuated by a feeling of leniency toward those who 
now wish to take my life.” 

“ Take this,’' he said, handing it to Colard. 

The old man turned the missive from one side to an- 
other, seeking the address. 


72 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ True,” said De Lozeril, “ I have not addressed it, 
because if you were to lose it and it should be found, 
the person for whom it is intended would be com- 
promised. I will confide the name to your discretion 
as an honorable man. You know the Hotel de 
Brageron ?” 

“ Yes, sir ; Rue St. Honore.” 

“ This note is for the marquise, and you will place it 
in her own hands.” 

“ Immediately, sir,” and Colard hastened to the door, 
but De Lozeril stopped him. 

“ No,” he said, “ don’t go yet ; it is possible that it 
may not be necessary to deliver the letter at all, for if 
our game does not last more than another hour I shall 
rejoin my friend.” 

“ Very well, sir.” 

“ The letter is, therefore, only to be delivered should 
I be detained here to an unreasonable hour. If we 
do not get through at midnight, you can go on your 
errand.” 

“ Go now, my good fellow, but turn the key in the 
lock after you go out, just as you found it. I shall 
have a good laugh at the captain for locking me in. 
He boasts that play never makes him lose his head.” 

Colard was just outside the door when the sound of 
a heavy footstep was heard on the stair. 

“ It ’sthe captain,” whispered Col^rd, “ he will meet 
me on the stair.” 

“ He must not suspect that you have been here,” 
cried De Lozer'l, calling Colard back into the room. 

Colard hastily re-entered and went straight toward 
a certain corner as if to find an exit there. 

“ Where are you going ? Is that the way you escape ?” 
cried the young man, surprised. 

The question appeared to confuse Colard, and he 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


73 


stopped. Then turning back, he again left the room, 
closing and locking the door. 

As he disappeared, De Lozeril exclaimed gleefully : 

“ There, it \s done ! The good man little thinks he 
is carrying a paper which, if it does not save, will at 
least avenge me !” 

Then, suddenly recalling the strange actions of Col- 
ard while in the room, it occurred to him to examine 
the corner toward which Colard had gone. Going to 
the wall, he tested carefully the woodwork. But it was 
intact, and there was apparently no secret door. Hear- 
ing the approach of the captain, the chevalier aban- 
doned his search, and, after walking to the fire-place, 
leaned his back on the chimney-piece, sword in hand. 
The door opened and the captain appeared. Having 
prudently calculated the chance of a sudden attack, he, 
too, carried a rapier in his hand. At sight of the 
young man, Annibal burst out laughing. 

“ Oh, ho !” he cried. “ What are you doing here, all 
alone, with your sword in the air, my very dear 
friend ?” 

“ I am killing the time, most amiable captain ! May 
I, too, ask the use of that shining blade over which you 
so playfully pass your finger ?” 

“ Do you really want to know, beloved chevalier ? 
Well, I have been thinking that before retiring to my 
virtuous couch I should like to complete my second 
dozen of those who have done me the honor to let me 
kill them in a duel.” 

“ I see. You want to kill me before you go to bed 
to-night !” 

“ Just so ; and as I should like to retire early, I hope 
that you will immediately procure for me this satis- 
faction.” 

And, sword in hand, Annibal fell into position, 


74 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


But De Lozeril, instead of following his example, 
said with a laugh : 

“ Although you are in such a precious hurry to get 
to bed, I suppose you will give me time to ask a ques- 
tion.” 

“ Certainly, chevalier, speak !” 

“ I wish you would tell me why you have fixed on me 
to complete your second dozen.” 

“ Simply for the sake of friendship.” 

“ Indeed !” 

“ Pure friendship,” repeated Annibal, “ for I am 
anxious to cure you of a very grave malady.” 

“ And what do you call this malady ?” 

“ I call it curiosity, my dear friend. Yes, you have 
the wretched habit of continually poking your nose 
in other people’s affair.” 

“ And doubtless it is your daughter who suggested 
this means of stopping me ?” 

“ Not at all. Madame Brichet knows nothing of my 
humane project.” 

“ But when you left me, I understood you were going 
to consult your daughter.” 

“ Such was my intention, and I made straight for the 
pavilion, but I found doors and windows closed and 
Madame Brichet shut up inside.” 

“ Shut up! Alone ?" 

To this question, accentuated with a sarcastic smile, 
Annibal answered dryly : 

“ You are too inquisitive, my dear friend. Another 
fit of your malady is coming on.” So saying, the cap- 
tain again stood on guard, adding : 

“ Come ! Let us begin your cure at once.” 

But De Lozeril remained stationary behind the mas- 
sive table, which sheltered him from any sudden at- 
tack his enemy might make. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


75 


“ But, my dear Annibal, if you did not see your 
daughter, who then put it into your head to send me 
to a better world ?” 

“ Who ? A most excellent counselor, named Pru- 
dence, dear friend.” 

“ How so ?” 

“ What ! Is it not prudent to prevent your gossip- 
ing to other people ?” 

“ Yes. If other people really knew nothing.” 

“ And how the devil should they know ?” cried the 
astonished Fouquier. 

“ How do you know that a paper signed by me may 
not have informed other people of your motive for 
killing me ?” 

At this answer Annibal remained for a moment 
dumfounded ; then bursting into a laugh, he cried : 

“ Ah, ha ! I was very nearly taken in by your trans- 
parent humbug. I forgot that when you came into 
this house you had not the slightest expectation of 
seeing that portrait on which you have based all your 
suppositions, and that being the case why should you. 
have warned your friends before coming here ?” 

Very well put, captain ; but supposing I have taken 
the precaution since I have been in this house ?” 

“Yes, but I had locked you in. Perhaps your guar- 
dian angel may have come down the chimney and 
taken your letter !” 

“ Well, it may have been my guardian angel, as you 
say, but all the same the letter has gone.” 

“ Bah ! You can tell that to the marines, my dear 
sir.” 

“ You refuse to believe me ?” 

“ Absolutely, chevalier. So much so, that if you still 
refuse to fight I shall simply kill you like a dog,” and 
the captain advanced sword in hand. 


76 MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 

De Lozeril, seeing that further argument was useless* 
left the sheltering table and faced his adversary. 

“ All right,” said he ; “but remember you have forced 
my hand, for we might easily have come to an under- 
standing.” 

Each made a step forward, and their swords touched. 
The two men were both proficient in the art of fencing. 
Young, active and supple, De Lozeril harassed the 
captain on all sides, parrying his thrusts with amazing 
agility, while Fouquier stood immovable on his giant 
limbs, merely protecting himself from his enemy’s 
sword with admirable sang-froid and watching eagerly 
to avail himself of the slightest advantage the cheva- 
lier might give him. On a certain thrust being made 
by the latter, Annibal cried, while parrying : 

“ I know that trick ! It is of the Spanish school !” 

“True,” answered De Lozeril, in his turn parrying. 

“ And, if I am not mistaken, it was invented by the 
famous Roxas Diego.” 

“ He was my best master,” replied De Lozeril, hoping 
to frighten the captain. “ Did you know him ?” 

. “Well, a little, I killed him,” answered Annibal 
modestly, still parrying. 

This information was thrown away • on De Lozeril 
who, despite his wonderful address, had discovered 
that Fouquier was immensely his superior in the art. 
At each new attack the captain advanced a step while 
his enemy retreated, and the combat, begun on the 
threshold, had been prolonged until they had almost 
reached the opposite side of the room, so that it was 
inevitable that the chevalier must soon find himself 
with his back against the wall. 

“ I shall soon be pinned to the wainscot by this great 
hulking brute,” thought he, fighting with desperate 
energy. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


77 


Blow after blow he dealt the captain, hoping- to make 
him retreat, but all to no purpose ; and, in his despair, 
he gave Annibal the opportunity of giving him a ter- 
rible thrust which, however, he parried just in time. 

The situation was horrible, and De Lozeril felt his 
strength giving way, while Annibal seemed as fresh as 
ever. The captain watched the young man’s declining 
forces with satisfaction, saying with a little laugh : 

“ Ha, ha, my sweet friend, I don’t think it will be 
much longer before I go to bed !” and suddenly mak- 
ing a rapid thrust, he attempted to pin the chevalier to 
the wall, crying : “ Good night, De Lozeril !” 

But the young man, springing aside with surprising 
agility, the captain’s sword encountered nothing but 
the wainscot, where it remained. At the same moment 
De Lozeril lowered his sword, saying : 

“ Captain, I will give you two hundred crowns for 
every minute you allow me to rest ; meantime, I beg 
you to listen to what I have to say.” 

At this extraordinary proposition Annibal, who was 
about to renew the fray paused, saying : 

“ That seems to me a delightfully reasonable pro- 
posal. You said three hundred crowns, didn’t you ?” 

“ No, two hundred.” 

“ I thought you said three hundred.” 

“ Well, then, let us say three hundred,” replied De 
Lozeril, knowing that he must give, in and pay the 
price exacted by his conqueror. 

“ All right then, dear friend, but first have the good- 
ness to consult the clock behind you.” 

“ Five minutes past eleven,” said the chevalier. 

“ Very well, now your account is opened, you may 
speak.” 


m 


CHAPTER VIII. 

De Lozeril sat down and took breath. Fouquier 
watched the hand of the clock, and De Lozeril began : 

“ My dear captain, we must start from this point, that 
if no one of our acquaintances has murdered Brichet, 
the man is none the less dead, for I declare I have held 
him dying in my arms.” 

“Admit that some one has relieved me of my son- 
in-law,” said Fouquier, graciously waving his hand. 

“ Now,” pursued the chevalier, “ the day that his 
death is proved, what will happen ?” 

“ My daughter will handle his millions, of course.” 

“ Then you think it will be all plain sailing. You 
have never considered one question. Why did Brichet 
go away ?” 

“ Why? Why ?” repeated the captain, trying to find 
an answer. Then suddenly starting as if he foresaw 
danger, he cried out : “ True ! Why the devil did the 
idiot go away ?” 

“ Happy, prosperous, deeply in love with his young 
wife, at an age to enjoy the comforts of home, is it not 
probable that his journey was simply a pretext to throw 
you all off the scent ?” 

“ Then you think that he never set out ?” 

“ I don’t think he can have gone very far,” replied 
De Lozeril. 

r ?8 j 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


79 


These hints made an impression on Annibal, who 
sat ruminating, his chin resting in his hand. 

“ Upon my word, that ’s quite true, and I never 
thought of speculating on why the old donkey went 
away. I simply believed the story of a journey.” 

“ Well, perhaps we shall yet find the clue to the 
mystery. Now, let us admit that Madame Brichet had 
a — friend. Let us further admit that your son-in-law 
had found out about this — friendship, as other husbands 
have done before him, and wishing to ascertain the 
truth, pretended to go on a journey, only to come back 
secretly and surprise the — friend ?” 

“ Great Heavens !” cried Fouquier. 

“ And supposing,” went on De Lozeril, “ that, com- 
ing back, he was assassinated by some one, a person 
who had nothing whatever to do with the question — 
Cartouche, for instance, or one of his gang. This 
exploit would, of course, secure the inheritance of 
Brichet to the person designated in his will.” 

“And that person is my daughter,” said the captain, 
quite happy again. 

De Lozeril shook his head slowly. 

“Are you quite sure ?” he asked. 

“ How could it be any one else ?” 

“ How do you know that Brichet, between the mo- 
ment of his discovery and his death may not have 
changed his will out of revenge ?” 

The captain gasped with fright, crying : 

“ Then Aurore’s golden prospects would crumble 
into dust !” 

“ And the money would go to Pauline ?” 

“ And all the millions of the old fool would escape 
us ! We should get nothing!” roard Annibal, beside 
himself with rage and apprehension. 

After a few seconds of silence, De Lozeril continued ; 


80 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ You might do better than that. You might get 
half.” 

“ And who would give us the half ?” 

The chevalier came quite near Annibal, and, speak- 
ing with emphasis, said : 

“/.” 

The captain burst out laughing. 

“ So that ’s what you have been driving at all this 
time, my boy ! And how, pray, will you secure to me 
the half ?” 

“ By a simple process. Cause me to marry Pauline.” 

“ And do you think I have the slightest influence 
over that simpering fool ?” 

“ No, captain ; but you and I are two clever men of 
the world, and surely, we might find some means of so 
compromising the girl that she w r ould find it impossible 
to refuse me ?” 

Annibal scratched his ear uneasily. 

“ Perhaps, after all, you are taking me in, for if 
Brichet should not have altered his will I should still 
be obliged to give you the half.” 

“Well, then, in that case, give me a pension, for 
instance, the same sum that Brichet settled on you.” 

“ And you would be contented with that ?” asked 
Fouquier, hesitatingly. 

“On my word of honor.” 

“ But I think I should like to have that in writing.” 

Far from being offended at the captain’s want of 
faith, De Lozeril answered immediately : 

“You shall have it to-morrow.” 

“ Why not now ?” 

“ Because it would be useless if, to-morrow morning, 
I am killed in my duel.” 

“ Duel ! What duel ?” cried Annibal, astonished. 

“ Don’t you remember that my coming here was to 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


81 


ask you to be my second at a meeting that was only de- 
layed some hours to enable my adversary to pay me 
a debt of honor ?” 

“ Yes, yes ; I do remember now, but I never asked 
you the name of this adversary.” 

“The Baron De Cambiac.” 

Taken aback at this name, Annibal could not repress 
an exclamation : 

“ Bah ! that is my Gascon !” 

These words were a revelation to De Lozeril, who 
said to himself : 

“ It is clear that the baron is Aurore’s lover. Women 
have an infallible instinct in scenting out a rival, and 
I see now why Madame De Brageron insisted that I 
should come here and ask Annibal to be my second. 
She wanted me to get into the camp that I might study 
its defenses.” 

The captain too was deep in reflection, and after 
much deliberation arrived at the following decision : 

“ If De Lozeril should rid me of that cursed Cam- 
biac to-morrow, I should not then be under the neces- 
sity of reimbursing him for his fifty thousand francs.” 

Their meditation ended. The two men looked each 
other steadily in the eyes. 

“ Then we are agreed, captain, are we not ?” 

“Yes, on condition that you sign me that little docu- 
ment.” 

“I shall sign it to-morrow. So now we are real 
friends,” added De Lozeril holding out his hand. 

“ Excuse me,” said Fouquier, “ but you know the 
proverb, ‘ Short accounts make long friends,’ and I 
think you and I have a little account to settle.” 

“True,” cried De Lozeril, looking at the clock. 

“ You have spoken twenty minutes, which, at four 
hundred crowns the minute, makes-^’ ! 


82 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET, 


“ No, no, captain, hold on ! We agreed for three 
hundred crowns.” 

“ Really? Very well, thatmakessix thousand crowns.” 

The chevalier approached the table, took one of the 
bundles of bank-notes that was pierced through and 
handed it to Annibal. 

“ Here is the money,” he said. 

The captain looked with a melancholy air at the hole 
perforating the precious packet. 

“ Do you think that the notes being mutilated will de- 
crease their value ?” asked the chevalier, pocketing the 
gold and the rest of the bank-notes that covered the table. 

‘ Oh, no,” sighed Annibal, “ I know the notes are 
perfectly good, only the sight of that hole reminded 
me that I was on the very point of running you through 
in the same way.” 

“ And you would have been a great fool for your 
pains, my dear friend ; for, in the first place, you would 
have run the risk of losing your inheritance ; and, in 
the second, you would have laid yourself open to end- 
less trouble, resulting from a certain little letter whose 
existence you choose to discredit.” 

Fouquier burst into a loud laugh. 

“ Yes,” he cried, “ we know all about that — the let- 
ter your guardian angel came down the chimney to fetch. 
You don’t think I ’m going to swallow that rubbish?” 

“ Do you really persist in denying the existence of 
that letter ?” 

“ I don’t believe one single word of it.” 

“Very well, my dear captain, if you will have the 
goodness to accompany me downstairs, I shall en- 
deavor to convince you.” 

“ Done !” cried Annibal, gayly, who, before leaving 
the room, laid his packet of perforated bank-notes on 
the mantel. 


Mystery of hotel brichet. 


83 


The two men passed ont. No sooner had Annibal 
closed the door, than a panel in the woodwork sud- 
denly opened and some one hastily entered the room, 
walked to the mantel and seized the bundle of notes. 

Having reached the vestibule, the captain and De 
Lozeril found Colard sitting on the bench, sound 
asleep, his lantern by his side. He was awakened by 
the chevalier saying : 

“ My good man, kindly give me that letter. You 
see, I find myself at liberty before the hour named.” 

“ And I own I am not sorry,” replied the old man, 
half asleep, “ for at my age I am not good at sitting 
up late,” and he handed the letter to De Lozeril, who 
put it into his pocket. 

“ Faith, it was true then,” thought the captain. 
“ But how the mischief did that old ape find his way to 
the chevalier ?” 

De Lozeril pursued his way along the Quai to the 
Rue des Deux Ponts, the street he had traversed two 
years before, on the night of the murder. Every de- 
tail of the drama recurred vividly to his memory. 

“ A few paces more and I shall reach the very square 
where I saw the man with the sack.” Another mo- 
ment and he was there, but this time the square, in- 
stead of being illumined by the moon, was dark. He 
tried to recall each incident of the adventure. “ Yes, 
it was just here,” he said. “ There is the bench where 
I sat down and the man with the sack appeared before 
me. Then I got up, and staggering toward him, I — ” 

The young man had not time to complete his remi- 
niscences, for a steel grip was on the back of his neck, 
and before he could make the slightest resistance a 
dagger was buried between his shoulders. 

De Lozeril uttered a piercing shriek and fell forward, 
lifeless ! 



CHAPTER IX. 

We have already stated that the garden of the Hotel 
Brichet was bounded on one side by the old Rue St. 
Louis. Aurore, wishing to exclude from her fairy 
bower the view of somber and dilapidated houses, had 
closed up the windows of her pavilion that looked out 
on the street. But, had Madame Brichet, after the 
lapse of two years, cared to reopen one of those win- 
dows, she would have been surprised at the changed 
appearance of one of the houses facing it. With fresh 
paint, clean windows and the fagade restored to its 
original beauty, it seemed to have decked itself with 
youth and gayety and stood forth in vivid contrast to 
its neighbors. 

The poor of this vicinity were not slow in finding 
their way to this house, where at all hours they were 
sure to find an open door, on which were painted the 
words, “ Doctor Maurice Gardi.” 

To them the doctor was ever ready to lend a willing 
ear and helping hand, often supplementing his pre- 
scriptions with the gift of a crown, bestowed with so 
much good will that his kindly benevolence proved as 
efficacious a cure as his skillful treatment. 

Maurice Gardi was about thirty years of age, tall and 
elegantly formed, a handsome, genial and forcible 
man. 

The young doctor had not always been in a condition 

[84] 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


85 


to give gratuitous care to his poor patients. It was 
not long since he had been in sore need himself. At 
that time he inhabited only the garret of the house 
which he now possessed, living in poverty and obscur- 
ity until the death of an uncle in Burgundy gave him 
a moderate fortune. 

Maurice regarded his newly-acquired wealth more 
as a means of extending his benevolence than of satis- 
fying selfish wishes, and, adhering to his frugal tastes, 
he devoted himself more ardently to the practice of 
his ? profession, in which he made rapid progress. 

No sooner was he independent of patients than they 
crowded in from every quarter, including many persons 
of fortune, able to reward his skill with handsome fees. 

The house consisted of a ground floor and one story, 
surmounted by a garret. The lower part was occupied 
by the kitchen, dining-room and a large consulting 
chamber, where Maurice received his poorer clients. 
The first floor was devoted to his bedroom and study, 
whence there was a charming view of the flowers and 
verdure of Madame Brichet’s garden. 

The young doctor evidently enjoyed this pleasing 
prospect to the full, for, not content with admiring it 
from his own rooms, he would mount to the garret and 
there, looking through a chink of the closed jDlind, he 
would gaze with rapt attention on the garden of the 
Hotel Brichet. 

Maurice Gardi was madly in love with Pauline 
Brichet. 

The young people had never exchanged a word, yet 
Pauline felt that Maurice loved her, while he could not 
misunderstand the tell-tale blushes that glowed on Paul- 
ine’s face at every meeting. The sweetest recompense 
for his mute devotion was when, on Sunday morning, 
mass being over, she laid her trembling little fingers 


86 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


in his hand to take from him the holy water. This 
was absolutely the only intercourse between the lovers, 
yet so subtle and magnetic an instinct is love, that each 
filled entirely the heart of the other. The care of the 
sick and poor was one strong bond of sympathy between 
them, Pauline recommending her sick pensioners to 
the doctor’s care; while to those in want of food and 
raiment he would say : 

“Apply to Mademoiselle Brichet.” 

If Maurice mounted to the garret twenty times a 
day in the hope of catching a transient glimpse of a 
white-robed figure among the paths of the garden, 
Pauline every evening, before saying her prayers, would 
lift a corner of her blind and watch for a moment the 
lamp that lighted the young doctor’s study. 

So kind and sympathetic was the nature of the man, 
that even the impregnable Colard was obliged to sur- 
render to his genial smile, and the old man, who 
defended his young mistress with a kind of bulldog 
fidelity, was forced to yield to the charm of his winning 
voice and manner. 

One day on their return from mass, on passing the 
doctor’s door, he said : 

“ That is the house of an honest man.” 

“ Ah, is that really your opinion, my good Colard ?” 
answered Pauline, with a little tremor in her voice. 

“ If I had a daughter, I should like her to have just 
such a husband,” pursued the steward, who, engaged 
in opening the door, escaped the grateful look that 
Pauline threw toward him. Praise from so severe a 
censor proved that the doings of Maurice had long been 
watched with careful interest by the old man. But the 
time came at last when the silence of the lovers was 
destined to end, and it happened on the very same day 
as the event described in the preceding chapters. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


87 


When De Lozeril, after finishing his story of the 
murdered man, had left M. de Badieresin the drawing- 
room in order to follow the captain, the judge, too, 
prepared to make his adieux ; but Pauline, addressing 
him in her sweet voice, said : 

“ M. de Badieres, will you give me your arm to the 
house of one of my poor pensioners who lives close 
by ?” and the magistrate, gladly acquiescing, they 
started, followed by Colard, carrying a huge basket. 

On arriving at the house, Pauline bade adieu to M. 
de Badieres, and quickly running upstairs, reached the 
top before poor old Colard with his heavy basket had 
mounted to the first floor. Pushing open the door, she 
saw a man in the act of trying to raise the invalid in 
her bed. He was saying : 

“ Come now, my good woman, just one little effort 
and we shall succeed. You see my left arm is not very 
strong since a fall I had in the middle of the night two 
years ago when a man running like a madman pushed 
against me with such force as to upset me.” 

“ You ! Was it really you ?” cried Pauline, involun- 
tarily, thinking at once of De Lozeril’s story. 

At her exclamation Maurice turned around quickly 
and saw Pauline on the threshold. 

She was really a charming picture standing there, 
the door forming a frame, and the dark staircase behind 
her making a background that threw out the perfect 
outline of her slender and graceful figure. Her pretty 
head was partly enveloped in a black hood, from which 
escaped a mass of blonde curls, while her rapid ascent 
of the stairs had sent a mantling color to her cheeks. 
She looked, indeed, the very perfection of adorable 
girlhood. 

Confused by the unexpected meeting with the 
man whose image filled her heart, she stood there 


88 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


hesitating to enter, her lovely eyes fixed timidly on 
him. 

At this captivating apparition, Maurice was too much 
overcome to speak for a moment, but not wishing to 
add to Pauline’s embarrassment, he quickly recovered 
himself and answered : 

“Yes, mademoiselle, it was I. Have you heard of 
this affair of two years ago ?” 

“ Yes, only an hour since, from the very man who 
knocked you down,” replied Pauline, her sweet voice 
going straight to Maurice’s heart, who now heard her 
speak for the first time. 

At this moment Colard appeared, panting from the 
exertion of mounting the five stories so easily accom- 
plished by Pauline. 

At sight of the two young people, Colard had just a 
shadow of suspicion that this might have been a ren- 
dezvous, but the innocent candor of his young mistress 
soon put his doubts to flight, and gazing at the two 
with beaming admiration, he murmured to himself : 

“ They would make a handsome pair.” 

Then turning to Maurice and putting down his 
basket, he respectfully bade him good morning. 

Leaving the contents of the basket, Pauline prepared 
to take leave after a few words of consolation to the 
poor woman. 

“Come soon again, my dear young lady,” sighed the 
invalid, comforted by Pauline’s sweet presence. 

“Oh, yes, Frangoise, I shall come again.” 

“ But when, mademoiselle ?” 

Pauline was about to answer: “ To-morrow,” but sud- 
denly reflected that Maurice, who was standing by, 
listening, might regard this as a rendezvous ; invoking 
with her eyes the help of Colard, the old man hastened 
to say ; 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


89 


“ All right, Frangoise, it is understood that made- 
moiselle will come again as soon as possible, and in the 
meantime we leave you in the doctor’s hands, whose 
skill will do you much more good than all our visits.” 

On reaching the street, Colard suddenly exclaimed : 

“ How did the doctor say he had hurt his arm, made- 
moiselle ?”- 

“ He said he was the person upset that night by 
Monsieur de Lozeril, in his flight from the murdered 
man.” 

At this answer Colard started and turned pale. 

“Another clue !” he cried. 

“ What do you mean, Colard ?” 

“ I mean that we must omit nothing that might pos- 
sibly put us on the track that I have so long been 
seeking in vain. Who knows if this little incident of 
the doctor's fall may not guide us to it ?” 

“ My poor father !” sighed Pauline. 

No sooner had Colard seen his mistress safely home 
than he hurried to the doctor’s house. 

“ No,” he said to himself, as he knocked at the door, 
“ I must neglect nothing.” 

He was admitted by Maurice himself. 

“ Mademoiselle is not ill ?” asked the doctor. 

“ No, no, sir ; don’t be alarmed,” said Colard who, 
despite his trouble, could scarcely repress a smile. 

“ I feared that some sudden accident might have 
sent you here.” 

“ Yes, Monsieur Gardi, it is an accident that brings 
me to you ; only this accident occurred two years ago.” 

“ Why, what do you mean ?” asked the astonished 
doctor. 

And Colard explained in a few words the object of 
his visit, begging Maurice to give him any further in- 
formation in his power. 


90 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


The young man told him all that had happened, 
corroborating to the full, so far as he was concerned, 
the statement of De Lozeril, and Colard remarked : 

“ Yes, all that agrees with the story that we heard 
this afternoon.” 

“ What story ?” 

“ A young man, who came to call, told us a story 
about a murder, of which I should not have believed a 
single word if your testimony had not agreed with that 
part of the tale.” 

“ Why would you not believe it ?” 

“ Because the gentleman himself admitted that he 
was very tipsy at the time, and he might have taken 
for sober reality what was merely a drunken imagina- 
tion, and besides, I said to myself, if this murder had 
really been committed, the body would have been 
found, for according to his story it was left lying in the 
middle of the square. Now, no one whom I ever heard 
of found this body. You, yourself, saw nothing of it. 
Did you ?” 

“ No, nothing.” 

“ And yet you must have passed through the square 
on your way home a quarter of an hour later ?” 

“ Yes, but I tell you I saw nothing. I was half dead 
with sleep, and only thought of getting to my bed.” 

“ And you never heard it said anywhere, did you, 
that a corpse had been picked up in the square ?” per- 
sisted Colard. 

All at once Maurice, striking his forehead, ex- 
claimed : 

“Yes, hold on! I do remember something. The 
next morning, on going out very early to visit a patient, 
I met the patrol with a body, which they were carry- 
ing to the river’s side, so as not to leave it lying in the 
open street, exposed to the public gaze.” 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


91 


“ And they picked it up in the square ?” 

“ I declare I never thought of asking. All I heard 
was that a man had been murdered in the night, and 
on seeing the body laid on the bank of the river I of- 
fered my services, but he was already past human aid, 
having been mortally wounded in the neck. A police- 
officer was busy making a statement of the incident.” 

“ Do you think he knew the name of the victim ?” 
asked Colard, who had listened with profound atten- 
tion. 

“ He did not, for the man carried no papers nor any 
sign of identification. At that time Cartouche and his 
band were holding the town in a state of terror, and 
the police, not wishing it to be known how utterly 
powerless they were against these brigands, kept all 
affairs of this kind as dark as possible. Acting on this 
motive, the officer, the moment I had certified to the 
man’s death, hastened to cry, ‘ Come, my men, let us 
get this corpse to St. Paul’s Charnel-house !” 

Colard here raised his head, which had sunk upon 
his breast during the doctor’s recital. 

“ Would it be possible to recognize that corpse 
now ?” he asked. 

“ How could you think of such a thing, Colard ? 
Imagine, among hundreds of bodies, heaped on one 
another, to say nothing of the decomposition that must 
have taken place in two years !” 

“ No trace, still no trace ! I shall have to give up 
all hope of ever folding my beloved master,” and 
Colard retired, despairingly. 

By this time night had come on, and Colard, enter- 
ing the garden by the little door, found himself in 
perfect darkness. He gained the garden stair just at 
the moment when Annibal came down, muttering to 
himself as he passed ; 


92 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ Ah ! Master De Lozeril, you try to poke your nose 
into other people’s concerns without thinking that you 
are risking your life thereby !” 

“ Can he have murdered the chevalier ?” thought 
Colard, with a shudder on hearing these words. 

And, as we have already seen, he lost no time in 
mounting to Fouquier’s room, where he found the 
chevalier locked in. 

Maurice, on Colard’s departure, remained buried in 
a reverie so long and deep that when he recovered 
himself his clock was striking midnight and his lamp 
was almost extinguished. He opened the window, 
and saw that something most unusual was occurring 
in the Brichet mansion. On the second story a light 
passed and repassed the windows, while a loud and 
furious voice poured forth a volley of oaths. At the 
same instant, at his very feet, a bright light flashed 
through the darkness of the street and then a dull 
sound was heard. 

“ Some one has jumped from the window of Madame 
Brichet’s pavilion,” said Maurice to himself. 

Two minutes later a horrible cry of agony resounded 
through the stillness of the night. 




CHAPTER X. 

“ Good God !” exclaimed Maurice. “ That means 
murder ! ” and in another moment he had lighted a 
lantern and rushed into the street. In the center of 
the square he stumbled over a body. 

Enveloped in his cloak, the victim lay stretched upon 
the ground, his face on the pavement, while from his 
neck flowed a stream of blood. 

“ He is not dead ; I must do my best to save him,” 
thought Maurice. 

He ran to his house and secured all that was neces- 
sary to stanch the wound, and hastened back to the 
square. 

But the body was no longer alone. During his short 
absence the officer of a passing patrol, seeing a black 
mass stretched on the pavement, had ordered a halt 
and was examining the body. At the sound of the 
doctor’s approach, the soldiers turned toward him. 

“Ah ! It is the doctor who saved my mother’s life !” 
cried the sergeant, heartily. 

“ Is that you, Germain ? Just get your men to carry 
this poor fellow to my house.” 


[ 93 ] 


94 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


The sergeant gave the order, and his men, lifting 
their burden, set out, Maurice walking in front, the 
sergeant at his side carrying the lantern. 

“ So, doctor, you discovered the body before we 
came up ?” he inquired. 

“ I was at my window when I heard him shriek. I 
ran to the place as quickly as I could, returning home 
only to fetch my instruments.” 

“And you saw nothing of the assassin ?” 

Suddenly there crowded into Maurice’s mind the 
recollection of the few moments before he heard that 
cry, the flashing lights in the pavilion, the dull thud of 
one falling to the ground, the commotion and violent 
language on the second story of the Hotel Brichet ; 
but the thought of Pauline kept him silent. Not that 
it was at all probable that any one inhabiting that 
house was implicated in the murder, but a judicial in- 
vestigation would necessarily ensue, causing Pauline 
much uneasiness and trouble. So to the sergeant’s 
question he merely answered: 

“ No, I only heard him running away.” 

“ Which way ?” 

“ Toward the opposite side of the island. You must 
have met him.” 

“ The only man we met was a gentleman whom I 
know by name, a person absolutely incapable of such 
a crime ; besides, it was just at a point where two 
streets meet, and it was impossible to say from which 
. direction he came. He was the Baron de Cambiac, and 
I shall not even mention him in my report.” 

Maurice had listened to the sergeant without paying 
much attention, his mind being still absorbed by the 
thought of' all he had heard and seen in the Hotel 
Brichet just before the crime. He tried to persuade 
himself that he had been mistaken, and that in th^ 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


95 


darkness he had imagined that the sudden light came 
from the pavilion, when it had in reality proceeded 
from a greater distance. At this moment the soldiers 
halted before his house. They were just about to 
enter when the sergeant exclaimed: “ Hallo ! What 's 
that shining on the road over there ? ” and, crossing 
the street, made straight for the pavilion, picked up 
the object lying just beneath one of the windows, and 
said gayly : 

“It’s not a piece of money, but it’s silver all the 
same and worth the trouble of keeping. See !” 

“ It is a broken spur,” said Maurice. 

“ It will fetch me the price of a good bottle of wine,” 
added the soldier, pocketing his treasure. 

The doctor had the wounded man carried to his own 
room, where, assisted by the sergeant, he proceeded to 
undress him. On removing his vest a shower of gold 
fell from its pockets like rain on the floor. 

“ My word ! He was worth killing !” cried the 
sergeant, gathering up the scattered pieces. 

Without delay Maurice probed the wound, and under 
the pain of the operation a slight shudder pa^' °,d over 
the patient. 

“He is young and strong, and may possibly pull 
through,” thought the doctor, closing the wound. This 
done, he turned and saw the sergeant calmly seated at 
the table, pen in hand and a sheet of paper before him, 
waiting. 

“ What are you going to do, sergeant ?” said Mau- 
rice. 

“ I want to make out my report, sir.” 

“ Do you mean to say you are going to question the 
wounded man ?” 

“ Why, certainly.” 

“ Well, I think you will have a long time to wait for 


96 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


that. It may be many hours before he comes to him- 
self, if, indeed, he ever does so.” 

“ But, sir, I must make out my report for the com- 
missaire .” 

“ Well, just write down what you have done and seen, 
and if he ever should regain consciousness, you may 
be sure I would not be slow in letting the police 
know.” 

“ But I wanted to make a good-big report. The gen- 
tleman seems to be a swell, and his people are. most 
likely rich, and I should have had a handsome reward,” 
said the soldier with a sigh, as his golden dream van- 
ished. 

“ Oh, by the way, that reminds me,” said Maurice. 
“ We ought to inform the parents or friends of this 
young man.” 

“ But when he can’t tell us his name !” 

“ Perhaps, though, he has some papers about him 
that may enlighten us.” 

“True, true !” cried the sergeant, who, taking up the 
clothes that had been thrown on a chair, proceeded to 
search the pockets. He pulled out a small cornet. 

“ Ah ! See, his name is Chevalier de Lozeril,” said 
he, reading the words inscribed in gold letters on the 
morocco cover. And returning to the search, he drew 
forth the bundles of bank-notes. “ Great Heavens,” 
he cried in amazement, “ he must have captured the 
mines of Peru !” 

“ Perhaps this large sum may have tempted the mur- 
derer to his crime,” said Maurice. 

“ Then, after wounding him, he had no time to seize 
the booty,” added the sergeant ; then all at once he 
burst out laughing. 

“ What is it ?” asked Gardi. 

“ Don’t you see, sir ? He was going to make garlands 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


97 


with his bank-notes, for they are all run through as if 
he thought of threading them on a string !” 

And for the third time the sergeant returned to the 
wounded man’s pockets. 

“ Ah, here is a letter !’ he cried, as he felt a paper 
rustling beneath his fingers. 

“ Quick, let ’s see the address !” said Maurice, eagerly. 

“ There is none,” said the soldier, disappointed, turn- 
ing the letter over and over in his hands. He hesitated 
for a moment as to whether he should open it or not, 
but decided on leaving it intact, saying : “ I shall send 
it in with my report just as it is, and the commissaire 
can do what he likes with it.” 



CHAPTER XI. 

As the Parisian public believed itself delivered by 
the death of Cartouche from all recurrence of the 
nightly horrors that had of late been its constant ter- 
ror, it may be imagined that great consternation was 
produced by the news of the outrage committed on the 
very night succeeding the brigand’s execution. Even 
a fortnight after the event it was still on the lips of 
every one, and “ The affair Lozeril-Brichet ” bade fair 
to monopolize public attention for many a long day. 
Much praise was awarded to the police for the prompt- 
ness shown in arresting, without delay, the two sus- 
pected persons, and in keeping them closely imprisoned 
in separate dungeons of the Chatelet. A letter found 
on the wounded man had greatly facilitated the action 
of the police who, after its perusal, had little to do be- 
yond arresting the two individuals named therein. But 
to the scandal-mongers, the most interesting part of the 
story lay in the fact that this crime had merely been 
committed in order to mask a former one, which up to 
the present had remained undiscovered. It was hoped 
that the veil would at last be lifted, enshrouding the 
mystery of the fate of the unfortunate Brichet, now 
believed to have been foully murdered by Fouquier 
and his daughter, and who, by the further death of De 
f 98 J 



MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


99 


Lozeril, had hoped to destroy forever all trace of their 
previous crime. 

Ignoring entirely the serious charges brought against 
them, the two culprits simply denied everything. 

The mode of procedure in those days differing widely 
from the present usage, the accusation and all proofs 
discovered by justice were kept a profound secret until 
the trial of a prisoner, when the evidence produced in 
open court had often the effect of a thunderbolt fall- 
ing at his feet. 

In the present instance the antecedents of the elder 
culprit were the most deplorable. A drunkard, gam- 
bler, assassin, always in want of money and obtain- 
ing it by the most discreditable means, even such as 
to have caused his expulsion from the army, it was 
easy to believe him capable of any crime. For the 
younger, the most malignant scandal-mongers finding 
little to say against her, consoled themselves with the 
saying, as trite as it is untrue, “ Like father, like 
daughter.” 

At the same time much commiseration was felt for 
Pauline Brichet, and it was a matter of surprise to 
many that the poor girl had not also fallen a prey to 
these two who had begun their iniquities by murdering 
her father. 

But even greater pity was felt for the unfortunate 
De Lozeril, who was still in the most extreme peril, 
despite the unceasing care of Doctor Gardi, in whose 
house he remained. 

After three days of utter unconsciousness, a glimmer 
of returning intelligence had shown itself, and the doc- 
tor, following the instructions received from the police, 
had instantly summoned M. De Badieres. 

“ Do you know me, M. De Lozeril ?” -asked the judge, 
seating himself at the sufferer's bedside, 


100 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


The chevalier replied by an affirmative sign of the 
head. 

“ You are aware that your would-be murderers are 
now in the hands of justice and that they will be pun- 
ished ?” 

“ Do you know who they are, then ?” whispered the 
sick man, painfully. 

“ Why, did you not name them yourself before the 
act ?” 

On seeing a look of blank amazement on De 
Lozeril’s face, the judge tried to assist his memory, 
and added : 

“ I ’ve found on you the letter you had written, fore- 
seeing that this misfortune might overtake you.” 

But the chevalier’s memory had not yet fully re- 
turned, and the judge’s words only brought back to 
him a confused recollection of the letter that he had 
taken from Colard on leaving the hotel, and it evi- 
dently did not occur to him what the consequence of 
that missive had been. 

“ Do you now confirm the contents of that docu- 
ment ?” pursued M. de Badieres. But whether the 
effort had been too great for him, or he was too pain- 
fully agitated by the judge’s disclosure, De Lozeril, in- 
stead of answering, closed his eyes and fell back in a 
dead faint. 

Ever since all the skill of Maurice had been unavail- 
ing to arouse him. He remained in a state of absolute 
prostration and so dumb that Maurice concluded that 
the poniard must have penetrated to the throat, thus 
rendering speech impossible. 

Several times M. de Badieres had returned to resume 
his examination, bnt always with the same result. 

“ Do you think,” he at last said to Maurice, “ that he 
will soon be strong enough to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ ?” 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


101 


“ Well, you see the state cf lethargy in which he lies. 
It is a very bad sign, and I fear if he lives he will lose 
his mind.” 

“ But just one word would be no great effort,” per- 
sisted the judge. 

“ Yes, but even if he could say it, I doubt that he 
would understand the meaning.” 

“ All I require is a simple ‘yes ’ in confirmation of the 
contents of his letter. With this and with the informa- 
tion he gave me about what he himself had seen two 
years ago, I think I should be in a position to begin the 
trial.” 

“ I will let you know the moment I see he can put 
two ideas together, but for the present you will get 
nothing out of him ; his brain seems paralyzed.” 

“ Then you think he does not know us?” 

“ I am sure he does not — so sure that I hardly know 
what answer to give to a certain great lady who is 
anxious to see him.” 

“ Who is she ?” 

“ The Marquise de Brageron.” 

“Yes, yes, I have heard of her. I believe she takes 
a great interest in the poor fellow,” said M. de Badieres 
with a slight smile, which showed that he was not ab- 
solutely indifferent to the gossip of the town. 

“ She has written to me saying that she will come 
to-day, but I declare I don’t know whether to admit 
her or not.” 

“ Give her the satisfaction of letting her see him, at 
all events,” advised the judge. 

At that moment the knocker of the hall door re- 
sounding through the house, Maurice ran to the win- 
dow, and, looking out, exclaimed : 

“ I thought so ! It is she. Shall I really let her 
come up?” 


102 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ Certainly. She will at least be witness to the fact 
that M. de Lozeril is not in a state for my examination.” 

The judge had scarcely ceased speaking when 
Madame de Brageron entered. 

“I trust, madame, that your presence may have some 
good effect on this poor fellow,” said the judge, mourn- 
fully, pointing to De Lozeril, who, pale and exhausted, 
lay motionless on the bed ; and with a courtly bow, 
which the lady returned with infinite grace, M. de 
Badieres left the room, followed by Maurice. 

Left alone with the sufferer, Madame de Brageron 
advanced timidly to the bed and looked on the face of 
the dying man. She started back with surprise. With 
eyes wide open and a smile on his lips, De Lozeril 
raised himself on his pillows and said gayly, though 
with somewhat weak voice : 

“ Do you know, dear marquise, that I have waited 
long enough for your visit ?” 

“ Was the doctor deceiving me then when he told me 
you were dying ?” ashed the marquise, not yet recovered 
from her astonishment. 

De Lozeril laughed merrily. 

“ Didn’t you hear that gallant old judge say that he 
hoped your presence would work a miracle on my be- 
half ? Well, the miracle has been worked.” 

“ And you say you have been expecting me ?” 

“ For ten long days,” replied the chevalier. 

“ Then why did you not send for me ?” 

“ Because I was an idiot, or rather because I was 
pretending to be an idiot. In asking for you they 
would have known I had recovered my senses, just the 
very thing they must not find out ; so I had to wait 
patiently till you came.” 

“ Why do you act this comedy ?” asked the astonished 
lady. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


103 


“Ah, that is just what I don’t like to tell you, unless 
you promise beforehand to forgive me.” 

“Tell me, all the same.” 

“ When I said: ‘ Promise to forgive me!' I should rather 
have said : ‘to be frank with me !’” 

“ Why, what do you mean ?” cried the marquise. 

“ I mean what I say. You must answer me truth- 
fully and without the slightest reticence.” 

“ Very well, speak, then.” 

“ Dear marquise, will you tell me if you love me 
really and truly ?” And before Mme. de Brageron 
could reply De Lozeril went on : “ By really and truly 
I mean, would my death make the whole world a desert 
to you, and would your grief and despair be such as to 
make you enter a convent ?” 

The marquise smiled. 

“ Very good,” answered De Lozeril, “ that smile con- 
vinces me beyond a doubt that you would never com- 
mit a folly- for love of me, and after my death I should 
be very soon forgotten. Is it not so ?” 

“ What are you driving at ?” asked the lady, avoiding 
a direct reply. 

“ Well, just this. As your love for me is so very 
limited, I must beg you to forget me now while I am 
alive, rather than give yourself the trouble of waiting 
for my death.” 

The marquise drew herself up with an air of offended 
dignity. 

De Lozeril, pretending not to observe her annoy- 
ance, continued : 

“ Oh, I have had plenty of time for reflection since I 
have been lying here, playing the idiot, and I have been 
asking myself whether it was from love that you kept 
me at your feet, or if you simply regarded me as a 
means of revenging yourself on others.” 


104 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ Go on,” said the marquise, dryly. 

“ The fact is proved by evidence, as the judge would 
say, who comes bothering me with his questions. Well, 
having admitted that you are not absolutely madly in 
love with me, may I ask if you would be very angry if 
I threw you over for more solid advantages ?” 

“ Not the least in the world.” 

“ Very well, dear marquise. These solid advantages 
I have already found, but I fear I have put them in 
jeopardy by committing an act of stupidity and writing 
an imprudent letter.” 

“ The letter that is now in the hands of the justice ?” 

“ Exactly.” 

“ You know that it has led to the arrest of Madame 
Brichet and her father, I suppose.” 

“ Alas ! Yes.” 

“ What ! Do you pity the YU^thh 68 who tried to 
murder you ?” cried the marquise. 

“Well, you know, dear marquise,” said De Lozeril, 
with a shrug, “ one ought to forgive one’s dear friends 
a little spiteful action of this kind. The truth is, I want 
to retract that accusation.” 

“ But that will be impossible. Your letter is too 
convincing.” 

“ Impossible ? Not at all, marquise, if you will only 
help me.” 

“How ?” 

“ By causing the accusation to fall on some one else 
of whom you are not particularly fond,” said De 
Lozeril, in a significant manner. 

“ The Baron de Cambiac !” cried the marquise, 
clasping her hands, a gleam of hatred in her terrible 
eyes. 

We leave the two conspirators together, while for a 
moment we follow Maurice Gardi. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


105 


On conducting M. de Badieres to the door of the 
house, he met Colard coming up the steps. 

Ever since the arrest of Madame Brichet and her 
father, Colard would come to the doctor’s house at 
least ten times a day, begging for some news to com- 
municate to Pauline. 

Although the old man had but little affection for 
Aurore, he could not help pitying the unfortunate 
young woman who bore his master’s beloved name, 
that name that had ever been honored and respected, 
but which was now, alas ! to be dragged through the 
mire of a great public scandal. 

At every interview with the doctor Colard expressed 
an earnest hope that De Lozeril, on regaining his 
senses, would retract the statement he had made in 
that terrible letter which had caused the arrest of 
Aurore. 

“ Can the gentleman speak yet, doctor ?” he asked, 
as the judge went his way. 

“ Not yet, Colard. M. de Badieres has just been 
trying to get a few words from him in vain. Madame 
Bricheps fate really hangs on his ‘yes’ or ‘no.’” 

The steward made a gesture of despair. 

“ No, no,” he said, “ she cannot be guilty. My poor 
master must have been murdered by some of the Car- 
touche ruffians and not by her whom he had rendered 
both happy and rich.” 

“ Rich ! Yes, rich !” cried Maurice. “ And that is just 
what is said by the public. The procureur having 
made her rich, she wanted even more riches, and so 
instigated her father to murder him.” 

“ But this murder could be of no use to her, for I am 
certain my master left his fortune to Pauline and not 
to her.” 

“ Do you know the contents of the will, Colard ?” 


106 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ No, sir, but I know how he adored his daughter.” 

“ Yes, but you see he adored his young wife, too, 
and a young wife might very easily make a doting old 
man forget his daughter. No one but Brichet’s notary 
can really know how he left his money.” 

“ That ’s true, sir, and I tried to get him to tell me, 
but all he would say was : ‘ The day your master’s death 
is certified we shall break the seals and read the 
will.’ ” 

“ It may, perhaps, be necessary during the trial to 
disclose the secret. Evidently it would go terribly 
against Madame Brichet if the bulk of the fortune has 
been left to her, for the judge would then see at once a 
motive for the crime.” 

Colard shook his head sadly. 

“Oh,” he said, “ I hope I am not wicked, but I wish 
to heaven the young man had been killed by that blow ; 
then we should not now be hanging on his life and 
Madame Brichet would have had a chance of escaping 
the penalty of her crime.” 

“ Her crime, do you say, Colard ? Do you suppose, 
then, it is possible she may be guilty !” cried Maurice, 
aghast. 

“ Oh, sir, what do I know ? How can I tell ? My 
poor old head is all in a muddle. I see the grief of my 
sweet Pauline !” replied the major-domo, with a de- 
spairing sigh. 

His sigh was echoed by another from the doctor, 
who, since the occurrence of all these tragic events, 
had not once caught even the most transient glimpse 
of his idol. 

“ Adieu* my friend,” said Maurice, holding out his 
hand, “ I must get back to my patient.” 

Colard took the proffered hand respectfully and went 
off, muttering to himself : 


mystery of hotel brichet. 


107 


“ If we only knew the contents of the will, we should 
then know what to think.” 

“ Poor old fellow !” thought Maurice as he watched 
his retreating figure, “ it ’s a kind of monomania.” 

On returning to the sick man’s bedside, he found 
him in exactly the same state of lethargy, his head 
thrown back on his pillows and the marquise sitting by 
his side, mournfully watching him. 

“ Well, madame, was I not right in wishing to spare 
you this painful emotion ?” asked Maurice. 

“ Alas ! doctor, you were indeed. My visit has been 
quite useless, for he has never given the slightest sign 
of recognition.” 

While the lady was speaking, Maurice was intently 
watching his patient. 

“ No, no, madame,” he cried, raising his head, “ your 
visit has not been useless and you have accomplished 
the miracle M. de Badieres hoped for ! See ! His face 
has lost its death-like pallor and his pulse is beating 
much more quickly. There is a great improvement. 
This state of inaction is about to cease and I can al- 
most answer for his recovery.” 

“ Heaven grant it !” said the hypocrite fervently, 
rising to go ; for now that their plans were well ar- 
ranged, she was all anxiety to put them in execution. 

The doctor conducted her downstairs, and as the door 
closed behind them, De Lozeril sat up and laughed. 

“ Well ! Well !” he cried gayly. “ I think I see my 
way out of the scrape that stupid letter has got me 
into. I ought to have torn it up the moment Colard 
gave it back to me.” 

As the reader has doubtless divined, De Lozeril had 
regained perfect consciousness when M. De Badieres, 
at his first examination, had produced the fatal letter, 
but wishing to gain time for reflection, he had deemed 


108 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


it expedient to pretend unconsciousness in order to 
avoid answering any compromising questions. He 
thus had had ample leisure to think quietly over his 
present situation and to devise a scheme for the future. 

In order to learn all that had passed since the mo- 
ment he fell senseless in the square, he had only to lie 
still and listen to the conversation of M. De Badieres 
and the doctor. 

He had heard of the arrival of the patrol and the 
subsequent search in his pockets. 

“ Good !” he said to himself. “ It was that cursed 
captain who tried to murder me to obtain the letter 
and rob me of the rest of my money, and he was only 
prevented by the guard coming up. Ah, so, Master 
Annibal ! That is the way you hold to your bargains, 
is it ? Well, you shall be hanged for it, my fine friend, 
and I shall accuse you of murdering Brichet before 
trying to make away with me.” 

But although the idea of revenge was sweet to him, 
still further reflection told him that the hanging of the 
captain would be a serious obstacle to his success with 
Pauline, Fouquier being his only means of gaining a 
footing in the Hotel Brichet. 

“ Decidedly I have been a fool,” he thought. “ I 
had both the captain and his daughter in my power, 
but now I have shown my hand and the game is up. 
My only chance was that they would follow my lead 
and play into my hands, but that is all over now, for 
the mansion will be closed to me, and farewell to my 
marriage with Pauline. What an ass that Annibal has 
been ! Only for his stupid idea of murdering me, all 
would have gone well. But, no ! Let me be just — it 
is I who has been the worst ass, for except for that 
compromising letter of mine they would never have 
arrested Fouquier.” 


MYSTERY OK HOTEL BRICHET. 


109 


Always brooding over the affair, De Lozeril at length 
said to himself : 

“ After all, my position is really not so bad. Pauline 
will certainly be grateful to me for denouncing her 
father’s assassins ; the house will reopen its doors to 
me ; I shall play my part well, and the young lady will 
finish by rewarding my devotion with her hand.” And 
he added, laughing, “ I shall have all to myself the for- 
tune I was only to share with Annibal.” 

The bright future that he painted for himself in such 
glowing colors was only obscured by one small cloud, 
his fear of Madame de Brageron. 

“ Who knows,” he said, “ if, while I am playing the 
turtle-dove to Pauline, she may not rush in and upset 
the whole affair ! When the bewitching marquise 
finds herself abandoned she is not the most accommo- 
dating of women, and her rage is not desirable. Wit- 
ness the Baron de Cambiac.” 

This name inspired him with a new idea. 

“ The very thing,” he thought. “ If I can only involve 
him somehow in this attempt on my life, she will for- 
get my small misdemeanors in the desire to gratify 
her vengeance on him. But how can I propose this 
scheme to her ? If I ask to see her, I must first wake 
from my state of prostration, and then the wearisome 
old judge will instantly appear and begin boring me 
with his questions, before I get an opportunity of con- 
sulting with her. I must wait till she comes of her 
own accord.” 

It was not until a week following this soliloquy that 
the marquise appeared, and then, owing to the tem- 
porary absence of Maurice, they were able to come to 
an understanding. 

When the doctor, after conducting Madame de 
Brageron to the door, returned to his patient, he found 


110 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


him with his eyes open, seemingly regaining con- 
sciousness. 

“ Where am I ?” he murmured faintly. 

“ He is saved !” thought the good doctor, joyfully. 

And in fact, the young man from that moment made 
such rapid strides toward convalescence that two days 
afterward M. de Badieres again presented himself at 
his bedside and demanded an answer to the important 
question : 

“ Do you acknowledge this letter ?” 

“Yes, I do,” replied De Lozeril. 

“Now, take care how you answer my next question,” 
said the judge, very gravely, “ for, on your reply, the 
fate of the accused almost depends. “ Do you persist 
in your declaration ?” 

“ I do persist !” said De Lozeril, emphatically. 



CHAPTER XII. 

The day of the trial at length arrived. From early 
morning an eager crowd besieged every entrance to 
the Chatelet, and had the Hall of Justice been twice as 
large it would yet have been far too small to accom- 
modate the excited multitude which surged around the 
doors. 

Public curiosity had been on the alert for a whole 
month, it having been determined to await the con- 
valescence of the chief witness before beginning the 
trial. 

The reserved inclosure was invaded by an aristo- 
cratic crowd, in which were many gentlemen, attracted 
thither by the reports of Madame Brichet’s beauty. 

As for the ladies, it interested them to see, in the 
prisoner’s dock, a handsome young woman, who, at 
the time of her marriage, eclipsed them all with the 
brilliancy of her fetes and the elegance of her toilets. 

In the front row sat the Marquise de Brageron, gay 
and smiling, returning with a graceful bow the recog- 
nitions of her numerous friends. On looking around 
the hall she suddenly espied De Cambiac, standing, 
pale and anxious, in one of the window recesses. 

“ Ah, so your love for Aurore follows her even to the 
prisoner’s dock ! Before very long I hope you may be 
seated there beside her,” she said to herself with con- 

[iii] 


112 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


centrated fury, though to all appearance smiling and 
serene as before. 

By a change in the judicial arrangements, M. de 
Badieres, instead of conducting the prosecution, was 
seated on the bench. After the preliminary formali- 
ties he ordered the prisoners to be brought in. 

Aurore entered in the midst of a profound silence, 
which was broken by a murmur of admiration as she 
advanced. 

She looked supremely beautiful. Her dark wavy 
hair forming a vivid contrast to the lovely pallor that 
overspread her perfect features, while her great lus- 
trous eyes shone out with all the brilliancy of fever. 

Leaning on her father’s arm, her faultless form 
showed to the greatest advantage beside the colossal 
figure of the rough old soldier. She advanced with 
quiet grace and dignity, but, suddenly perceiving the 
concentrated stare of the spectators, she wavered for 
a moment. Her father, stooping, said, in a voice of 
wonderful softness : 

“ Come, my child, courage !” 

His love for his daughter being his one vulnerable 
point, Annibal, in this terrible crisis, became once more 
an anxious father. 

Enforced abstinence from drinking during his im- 
prisonment had somewhat improved the captain’s outer 
man, modifying the usual purple tint of his features, 
though their expression was as bold and sinister as be- 
fore, and the look he cast around him as he entered 
was like that of some caged animal. 

Still there was a certain beauty in the man, though 
of a ferocious type. 

The seclusion of the last month had been a terrible 
strain on his powerful organization, and fearing that 
he might be tempted to give vent to his over-wrought 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


113 


feelings by some deed of violence, eight stalwart sol- 
diers had been detailed to keep a strict watch on the 
giant, day and night. 

As soon as the prisoners were seated, M. de Badieres 
rose, and in a slow and impressive voice declared : 

“ Annibal Fouquier, you are accused of an attempt 
to murder the Chevalier de Lozeril, and also of the 
assassination of Louis Victor Brichet, Procureur of the 
Chatelet. 

“ You, Aurore Brichet, are accused of complicity in 
the said crimes, and with having aided and abetted 
your father in their accomplishment.” 

Before the soldiers could restrain him, Annibal 
rose and drawing himself up to his gigantic height 
roared out : 

“ A lie, so far as I am concerned, and an infernal lie 
as regards my daughter.” 

“ Make the prisoner sit down,” ordered the judge. 

On hearing the accusation of having murdered her 
husband, Mme. Brichet suddenly raised her head and 
looked around in lerrified amazement. Her eyes 
encountered those of De Cambiac fixed on her with a 
look of the most passionate devotion. 

“ He is here,” she murmured, all her fears vanishing 
and her whole being suffused with a nameless joy. 

“ Aurore Brichet, what have you to answer ?” de- 
manded the judge. 

She rose, and extending her hand, said in a clear 
voice : 

“ I swear before God and man that I am innocent of 
these crimes.” 

“And you, prisoner Fouquier ?” 

“ Bah ! What should I say ?” 

“ Bring in the witness Colard.” 

In this complicated trial there were but few wit- 


114 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


nesses, and these few had only the most vague infor- 
mation to offer ; but the prosecution hoped that some 
trivial observation on their part might possibly give a 
clue to the mystery. 

Colard’s deposition would naturally have been of 
slight importance had not the good man, in his embar- 
rassment at finding himself the cynosure of all eyes, let 
fall a phrase which was eagerly seized on by the prose- 
cution and turned to account, as we shall see. 

Questioning him on the subject of his master’s dis- 
appearance, the judge asked : 

“ Your belief is that Brichet left his house of his own 
accord ? You do not think he could have been sur- 
prised and carried off during the night ?” 

“ No. M. Brichet went away of his own free will, 
taking with him only a little valise, the contents of which 
I missed from the wardrobe. Having been in his 
service over twenty years, I knew every single thing 
he possessed. Besides, my master had told his friends 
he was going away, and he left a letter addressed to 
his wife and daughter, so I am quite certain he went 
of his own accord.” 

“ And you have never been able to guess the motive 
of his departure ?” 

“ Never.” 

“ Just previous to his going away did you notice any 
change in his habits ?” 

“ In his habits? No, sir ; but in his disposition, yes. 
M. Brichet, who was naturally gay and friendly, be- 
came gloomy and suspicious. Having just been mar- 
ried, I thought for a moment he might be jealous 
and—” 

At these words he was suddenly interrupted by the 
judge : 

“ Jealous,” said he ; “had he any cause for jealousy ?” 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


115 


“ Oh, your worship, I said that without thinking. I 
did indeed,” said Colard, frightened by the judge's 
serious tone. 

“ Did you observe anything in Madame Brichet’s 
conduct to cause her husband uneasiness ?” 

Colard fairly broke down. 

“ Oh, it is too bad to take up a poor man's words in 
that way and to make him say things he never meant ! 
My God ! One would think I intended to accuse 
madame ! Oh, I am not used to a court of justice. I 
don't know what I am saying. You ought not to twist 
my words so.” 

Madame de Brageron, who had followed Colard’s 
deposition attentively, now said to herself, with a faint 
smile : 

“ Good ! This whimpering old man has doubtless 
put the cord 'round my lady’s neck !” 

M. de Badieres might possibly have allowed Colard’s 
remark to pass without much notice had he not ob- 
served that on hearing the word ‘ jealous ’ Madame 
Brichet had trembled slightly. 

“ Can that be the key to the mystery ?” he thought. 

By degrees Colard regained his composure, and his 
examination was resumed. Not to alarm the poor old 
man, M. de Badieres passed to the second part of the 
indictment — the attempted assassination of the Chev- 
alier de Lozeril. 

The old valet deposed that the chevalier had been 
gambling all the evening with the captain, and spoke 
of the letter with which De Lozeril had charged him. 

“ Do you know the contents of that letter ?” asked 
the judge. 

“ M. de Lozeril told me that it was to let a friend know 
he would not return that evening.” 

“And when you found him locked up in the room, 


m 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


did he seem frightened, as if the captain had been 
threatening him ?” 

“ No, your worship. He was quite gay and not the 
the least uneasy. He said he was waiting till the cap- 
tain came back with some more money, which he had 
gone to borrow from Madame Brichet.” 

“ And did he get any !” 

“Yes, I think so, but it must have been very little.” 

“Why do you think so ?” 

“Because, your worship, I knew that madame was 
wanting money herself. Several times during that day 
she had asked for me, and at the very moment M. de 
Lozeril was announced she was about to speak to me, 
but seemed to forget what she was going to say, and 
it was not till quite late in the evening that she made her 
request.” 

“ What request ?” 

“ To get for her four thousand crowns, of which she 
was in pressing need.” 

At this answer Mme. Brichet trembled visibly, a 
sign of emotion not lost upon the judge, who observed 
at the same time a look of intense surprise on the face 
of Annibal. 

And, indeed, the captain was thinking to himself : 

“ What the mischief could Aurore want. with all that 
money ?” 

Inspired by his double observation, the judge con- 
tinued his examination, and, seeming to abandon the 
pursuit of that question, so as not to alarm old Colard, 
went on : 

“ You were completely in the confidence of your 
master ?” 

“ Yes, sir, and his daughter and his wife honored me 
with theirs also. It was I who settled all the house 
accounts and no money was spent without passing 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


117 


through my hands,” said the major-domo, looking very 
important. 

“ Were the accounts very large ?” 

“ Oh, no, your worship. The two ladies were very 
economical, and during the last two years I put by a 
great deal of money. Miss Pauline spent the most, on 
account of her poor people ; but Madame Brichet, liv- 
ing in the strictest seclusion, spent next to nothing.” 

“ Then, prisoner Aurore, what were you going to do 
with the four thousand crowns which you demanded 
all at once from your steward ?” asked the judge, 
abruptly turning to Madame Brichet. 

This question, falling on her like a thunderbolt, 
Aurore was visibly agitated, and stammered forth : 

“ This matter has nothing to do with the case.” 

“ In the midst of your frugal life, it appears very 
strange that you should suddenly be in want of so large 
a sum, and the court requires you to explain the cir- 
cumstance,” persisted the judge. 

Madame Brichet was silent. 

“ Reflect that if you refuse to throw any light on it, 
we must surmise that the money was required to pay 
the assassin who an hour later attempted the life of De 
Lozeril.” 

Pale as death, De Cambiac listened to this terrible 
suspicion. With haggard eyes and clenched hands, he 
trembled under the torture that racked him. 

“ Do you refuse to answer ?” 

But Aurore was mute. 

“ Good God ! If these four thousand crowns, of 
which I know nothing, are to drag the girl deeper into 
the mire !” said the captain to himself. Then sud- 
denly starting up and addressing the court, he declared, 
in his stentorian voice: “The money was intended 
for me. My daughter does not like to admit that I am 


118 


MYSTERY OE HOTEL BRlCHET. 


a desperate gambler, but it is too well known a fact 
that she should hesitate to avow it, and the regard for 
my reputation is unnecessary.” 

Aurore thanked her father with her eyes. 

“Yes, yes, you may thank me, little fool; but I 
should like to know, all the same, what you wanted 
that money for !” said Annibal to himself. 

The audience had for a moment imagined that a clue 
had keen discovered, but the captain’s words dissipated 
the expectation, and Colard was again overcome by 
despair on seeing that he had once more compromised 
Madame Brichet. 

“ My God ! My God !” he cried, in deep distress. 
“ Is it possible that they can attach a terrible meaning 
to every word I say ?” 

But the revelation of Annibal having in some degree 
reassured the poor old man, M. De Badieres continued 
his examination : 

“ When did you learn that M. De Lozeril had been 
attacked a few paces from the hotel ?” 

“ The next morning ; I heard it from the neighbors ; 
they got the news from Doctor Gardi, who had picked 
up the wounded man along the patrol. I was shocked 
at such a horrible fate having overtaken the poor gen- 
tleman who left our house so well a few minutes 
before.” 

“ What o’clock was it?” 

“ Nearly midnight. At my age I cannot sit up late, 
and I was so tired that I hastened to bar the door and 
get off to my bed as quickly as I could without troub- 
ling myself about the captain, whom I left at the foot 
of the stairs.” 

“ Now for it,” thought the captain, “ here comes my 
turn.” 

And he was not deceived, for the judge proceeded : 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


119 


“ Ah, you left the captain at the foot of the stairs, 
and do you think that he then reopened the door and 
went in pursuit of the chevalier ?” 

“ No, your worship. I am quite sure that at first he 
went to his own room just under mine, for I had 
scarcely got into my bed, when I heard a tremendous 
row below and cries and oaths, so I knew he was in his 
room.” 

This storm of curses had been caused by Annibal’s 
discovery of the theft, when the panel had been opened 
by a mysterious hand and the money abstracted. He 
had run hither and thither searching in every corner 
for his missing treasure, and it was this commotion 
and the carrying about of lights that had attracted the 
attention of Maurice just before his hearing that terri- 
ble cry of agony. 

“Yes, I see what you are coming to, meddling old 
fool !” thought Annibal, rightly guessing what the 
judge’s next question would be. 

“ Annibal Fouquier, what caused you to make the 
disturbance described by Colard ?” 

A prudent instinct closed his lips on the subject of 
the bank-notes until De Lozeril should have given his 
evidence, and the captain answered quietly : 

“ I was furious with the fool of a servant who had 
made my bed with the feet higher than the head.” 

The judge appeared to accept this statement and, 
turning to Colard, asked : 

“ A little while ago, in speaking of the captain, you 
said : ‘ I am certain that at first he went to his room,’ 
what did you mean by that ? Do you think that after 
his rage was over the accused then went out ?” 

“ Mathurin, the cook, who went to bed a little later 
than I, told me that on going to his room he met the 
captain rushing downstairs like a whirlwind, and that 


120 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


he ran out to the garden in the direction of the 
pavilion.” 

“ Hum, hum ! This is getting mixed,” muttered the 
captain, on hearing these words. 

“ What were you going to do there after midnight ?” 
asked the judge, turning toward Fouquier. 

“ Well, with a bed so badly made I knew I should 
not close my eyes, and I preferred the idea of a night 
at a gambling-house, so I went to see if my daughter 
had the money I wanted to play with from Colard.” 

“ The four thousand crowns ?” 

“ Precisely. Isn’t it so, Aurore ?” said the captain to 
his daughter, hoping she would follow his lead, and, 
after a slight hesitation, she bowed affirmatively. 

“ They are lying, both of them,” thought the judge. 

“ Instead of going to the pavilion, did you not rather 
cross the garden and go out at the little door and thus 
intercept De Lozeril, who would have gone round by 
the Quai !” 

“ What for ?” asked the audacious Annibal. 

“ That you might kill and rob him of those bank- 
notes you knew he had with him,” answered the judge, 
pointing to the bundle of perforated notes lying on the 
table before the judges. 

“ Bah ! I see what you are driving at,” said Fou- 
quier with a shrug. “If I had wanted to murder De 
Lozeril for his money I had every facility for doing so 
an hour before, instead of waiting until he got into the 
public street, for I had held him on the point of my 
sword and could have run him through the body at any 
moment. There was nothing to prevent my finishing 
him off.” 

“What ! Nothing ?” asked the judge, significantly. 

“ No, nothing.” 

“ You forget that at that moment M. de Lozeril had 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


121 


not on his person that letter which yon had the 
strongest motive for obtaining, as it denounced to jus- 
tice the authors of a hitherto undiscovered crime.” 

“Oh, come now, don’t let ’s have any more of that 
stuff about Brichet’s death ! I ’ve had enough of it for 
a whole month,” said the captain, with a mocking 
laugh. 

“ Bring in the second witness,” ordered the judge, 
and the notary, who had Brichet’s will, entered. 

“You know the particulars of the procureur' s for- 
tune ?” asked M. de Badieres. 

“ Yes, your worship. Ever since M. Brichet’s disap- 
pearance I have administered his property, awaiting 
either his return or the confirmation of his death, which 
would have put in possession the persons designated in 
his will.” 

“ What is the amount of the fortune ?” 

“ Seven millions.” 

The notary’s words sent a thrill through the vast 
audience. So enormous a sum might well have tempted 
an assassin’s cupidity. 

“ Have you brought the will ?” asked the magistrate. 

“ Here it is,” said the lawyer, producing it. 

“ Do you know its contents ?” 

“ I do, your worship, but professional etiquette for- 
bids me to make any disclosures until the seals can be 
legally broken.” 

“Justice demands to see this document, on the prin- 
ciple laid down in the maxim ‘ Find out whom the 
crime would profit,’ and the court insists on the will 
being read.” 

At these words the notary handed the will to the 
registrar, who, having broken the seals, read it in a 
loud voice. 

After leaving one million to Pauline, and a pension 


122 MYSTERY 0T HOTEL BRICHET. 

for life to Colard, the bulk of the fortune was left to 
Aurore. 

“ But that is impossible !” cried the notary in con- 
sternation. He had listened to the registrar in absolute 
stupefaction, and his exclamation was now so evidently 
caused by utter astonishment that the audience was 
impressed as vividly as though it had been a studied 
scenic effect. 

A thrill of surprise ran through the listening crowd, 
and the judge continued eagerly : 

“ Can this document be the work of a forger ?” 

“ Oh, no, sir. This was very certainly written by 
Brichet in my presence/’ replied the witness, regaining 
his composure. 

“ Then why were you so overcome ?” 

“ Because, your worship, I firmly believed this paper 
to have been destroyed and replaced by another which 
I was absolutely certain had been placed in that en- 
velope.” 

“ Explain yourself.” 

“ The day before his disappearance Brichet came to 
my office for the purpose of changing entirely the will 
he had a short time before placed in my hands. This 
will was the one which has just been read before the 
court. Having several clients to attend to that morn- 
ing, I left the procureur in my private room seated 
before my desk, preparing to make a new will. When 
I returned he had finished his task, the new testament 
having taken the place of the discarded one in the 
large envelope, which had just been resealed. Brichet 
was then standing in front of the chimney-piece, and 
pointing to some paper burning on the hearth, he said 
to me : ‘ Foolish is the old man who falls in love at an 
age when he ‘should content himself with being a 
father. He is rewarded only by ridicule and ingrati- 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET 


123 


tilde.’ Brichet, in speaking thus, appeared to be influ- 
enced by a sullen anger. I avoided asking him the 
cause, as I imagined he would not care to tell me, but 
I concluded he had now been reconstructing for his 
daughter’s benefit the will he had so lately made in 
favor of his young wife.” 

“Then, it would appear from what you say that lat- 
terly Brichet was dissatisfied with the conduct of his 
wife ?” 

“ Indeed I cannot tell. I merely expressed my pri- 
vate opinion,” replied the notary, evidently afraid to 
commit himself to an assertion. 

Until now Mme. Brichet had always enjoyed a repu- 
tation for goodness and truth, and now for the second 
time the proceedings had awakened a strong suspicion 
that all had not gone smoothly during Brichet’s second 
short experience of matrimony. 

During the notary’s deposition all eyes were turned 
eagerly on Aurore, but those who hoped to read in her 
countenance any indications of her guilt or innocence 
were disappointed ; for her lovely face was buried in 
her hands, all that remained visible being her bewitch- 
ing little ears and these, it was remarked, became 
crimson, but whether from indignation or shame, it 
was impossible to conjecture. 

“ How can you account for the existence of this will 
which you believed to have been destroyed ?” asked De 
Badieres. 

“I suppose that Brichet in his agitation must have, 
by mistake, thrown into the fire the second will he made 
and replaced this one in the envelope.” 

The magistrate made a sign to the notary to sit down. 

During his examination no one in that vast audience 
had been half so painfully affected as the good Colard, 
who was seated by the side of Doctor Gardi. 


124 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


Maurice had come to the trial lest his services should 
be required by M. de Lozeril, who had been carried to 
the chatelet and now lay on an improvised bed in one 
of the adjoining rooms, waiting until his evidence 
should be summoned. 

Colard was deeply distressed at the contents of the 
will, and could not repress a groan. 

“Ah! M. Maurice,” he said, “who would have 
thought that my master wonld thus have despoiled his 
own child for the benefit of his second wife.” 

“ But you see he regretted having done so, as he made 
a second will.” 

“Yes, but it has been burned, and now everything will 
go to Madame Brichet,” sobbed the old man in despair 
at seeing Pauline’s inheritance thus disposed of. 

“Well, let us see how the trial ends,” said Maurice, 
trying to console him. 

“ How it ends, you say ? But how, then, could it 
end ?” 

“ If Madame Brichet is convicted of having killed 
her husband for the sake of his money, it is quite evi- 
dent that his property would revert to Miss Pauline,” 
replied Maurice. 

“ Oh, the poor, dear lady ! I could never believe her 
capable of such a crime. Heaven grant she may be 
acquitted !” 

“ I trust so, indeed, Colard,” said Maurice, heartily. 

Colard seemed to hesitate before putting his next 
question. 

“But,” said he, “ supposing madame is found inno- 
cent, can she still inherit ?” 

“ Why, certainly ; for despite the error deposed to 
by the notary, the will is perfectly legal, and in default 
of a later one, holds good.” 

“ Then it is to be hoped madame will be condemned,” 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


125 


murmured Colard to himself, his devotion to Pauline 
having rendered him ferocious. 

After the notary’s evidence the court adjourned for 
a few minutes. 

During the past hour Madame De Brageron had 
watched the Baron De Cambiac most intently, enjoy- 
ing to the full the mental agony of the young man. 
His whole attitude bespoke such an amount of tender 
and absorbing love and the look he bent on Aurore 
was so full of unwavering confidence in her innocence 
that the marquise, beside herself with rage and jeal- 
ousy, could not but exclaim: “How he loves her!” 
And she consoled herself with the hope of a speedy 
revenge. 

The voice of the usher calling for silence now re- 
sounded through the hall, and the examination was 
resumed. 

“ Bring in M. De Lozeril !” ordered the judge. 

At the name of this witness, a thrill of excitement 
ran through the vast concourse, and every eye was 
turned toward the door which opened to admit the 
chevalier, who, leaning on Maurice, advanced, pale and 
with a faltering gait, toward the chair which had been 
prepared for him. 

At the request of the court, the chevalier, amidst the 
most profound silence, gave a detailed account of his 
first nocturnal adventure in the square, and described 
his meeting with the man and the sack. 

“ You have admitted in your letter that this mur- 
dered man resembled to the life the portrait which was 
shown you, although at first you denied the likeness ?” 
asked the judge. 

“ That is true.” 

“ You declared later that your denial was owing to 
the fact that you feared to accuse innocent persons. 


126 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


Now tell us how it was you afterward changed your 
mind.” 

“ Blackguard !” thought Annibal, who listened with 
the gravest attention. 

“ On reflection, I came to the conclusion that the 
crime must have been committed by those whom it 
would more benefit, and when the captain took me up 
to his room, he asked me a thousand questions on the 
subject, coming back to it again and again, so that at 
last my suspicions were aroused. We did nothing the 
whole evening but talk about the murder.” 

“ The lying dog ! What is he coming to now !” 
thought Annibal, on the rack. 

“ But,” said the judge, “ Colard deposed that you 
had passed the evening in play.” 

“ Oh, yes ; I told him that when he came up to the 
captain’s room, where I was locked in.” 

“ And it was then that you wrote the letter which 
you gave Colard. You must have been under grave 
apprehension for your safety when you wrote such a 
document.” 

“ The captain’s cross-questioning had put me on my 
guard. I knew him to be a violent man. And his 
having locked me in excited my suspicions ; so I wrote 
that letter and gave it to Colard.” 

“ What excuse did Fouquier make for leaving the 
room ?” 

“ Just what I told Colard, that he was going to ask 
his daughter for money to go on playing with.” 

“Then it was as Colard said, and you had been 
playing ?” 

“ Yes, but very little, for the captain does not know 
how to play and, on a contested point, rushed to his 
sword.” 

“ Well, well,” said the astonished Annibal to himself, 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICflET. 127 

“ the chevalier is a pretty good hand at making up 
stories." 

“Then you fought there in the room without 
seconds ?" 

“ Yes, and while defending myself, I could not help 
thinking that the captain was taking this means to get 
rid of me, to prevent my making any revelations about 
the murder of Brichet. After this I felt certain that 
he must be guilty." 

De Lozeril here paused a moment to take breath, 
and then added : 

“ I admit now that I was mistaken." 

A movement of surprise showed itself among the 
audience, and the chevalier continued : 

“T saw afterward that the captain might easily have 
killed me, for he held me exhausted at the point of his 
sword, but he generously made me the present of my 
life — without any condition.” 

And De Lozeril emphasized these last three words, 
looking steadily at the captain. 

“Yes, yes !" said Annibal to himself. “I see your 
game, you scoundrel. You slip over our little arrange- 
ment of so much a minute and our bargain about Paul- 
ine. But what are you driving at now ?” and after this 
reflection the captain looked toward the judge for per- 
mission to speak. 

On receiving an affirmative sign, he remarked : 

“ The witness has just said that I might have killed 
him, but granted him his life. Was it then likely that 
twenty minutes later I should try to murder him at the 
corner of the street ?" 

“ It is perfectly logical,” replied the judge, “ because 
it would have been extremely difficult for you to re- 
move a dead body from the house, while a corpse left 
in the open square would give you no trouble what- 


128 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


ever. After killing him in your own room it would 
have been very dangerous to rob him, but in the street 
there was comparatively little risk.” 

“ Stuff and nonsense !” thought the captain. “ Where 
does he get hold of such ideas ?” 

Pointing to the bank-notes on the table, the judge 
continued, to the chevalier : 

“ These notes are yours ?” 

“ Yes, sir.” 

“ Why are they perforated ?” 

And the chevalier explained the reason. 

“ Besides desiring your death for the purpose of 
concealing Brichet’s murder, you said that the 
second motive of the captain was his desire to rob 
you ?” 

De Lozeril paused, and then replied, slowly and 
with emphasis : 

“ I believed it then." 

“ What do you mean by then, are you not as sure 
now ?” 

The chevalier stopped again. 

. “ Come, speak.” 

“ On reflecting, I came to the conclusion that 
another person had an interest in wishing for my death. 
I was engaged to fight a duel, which had been post- 
poned for some hours to give my adversary the 
opportunity of paying me some money he owed me. 
Involuntarily it occurred to me that he might have 
taken this means of getting out of both the duel and 
the debt.” 

“ Who was this gentleman ?” 

“ The Baron de Cambiac.” 

Before the baron could recover from his surprise at 
hearing his name thus put in evidence, and before any 
one could step forward to oppose him, De Ravennes 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


129 


had rushed to the front and cried in a voice trembling 
with indignation : 

“ You lie, sir ! As the Baron de Cambiac’s second, 
and knowing nothing of what had befallen you, I went 
to your house on the following day, taking with me 
a sealed packet inclosing his debt and a word from 
your adversaVy telling you he was at your disposal. 
Your wound and your subsequent illness have hitherto 
prevented my renewing on his part M. de Cambiac’s 
challenge, but now, in the face of your infamous in- 
sinuation, I throw aside all reserve and fling the lie 
back in your teeth !” 

So saying, De Ravennes drew from his pocket a 
bulky letter, and dashing it on the table, folded his 
arms, saying with superb disdain : 

“ There, sir ! Read that and count your money !” 

The court and all those seated near the table broke 
out in one great cry of surprise, for the notes that fell 
from the packet were every one pierced through in 
precisely the same manner as those already lying on 
the table. 




CHAPTER XIII. 

The whole audience rose en masse , gasping with ex- 
citement and curiosity to discover the motive for this 
sudden agitation. But however startling the incident 
may have been to the rest, nothing could exceed the 
blank amazement that overcame the Chevalier and 
Annibal at the sight of the well-known bundle of 
notes. At the first glance the captain recognized his 
lost treasure. 

“Thunder !” he said to himself, “ there are my notes 
sure enQUgh, but how the mischief did they get into 
De Cambiac’s hands. De Lozeril, in his depositon, 
never said one word about the money. Could this have 
been the cause of his silence ? Can he be the inventor 
of this juggling trick ?” 

But the captain was wrong in supposing that De 
Lozeril knew anything about it, for, indeed, he had 
seen the apparition of these notes with positive stupe- 
faction. During his deposition, when he tried to throw 
a suspicion on De Cambiac’s integrity, he knew full 
well he was committing an infamy ; but now, this 
bundle of notes, coming in evidence in this mysterious 
manner, seemed to lend weight to his false assertion 
and to give it all the semblance of truth. 

“ These are certainly the notes I gave to Fouquier,” 
he thought, “ but how can De Cambiac have got them ?” 

[130] 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


131 


And looking toward Annibal for an explanation, he 
found that the captain’s eye was fixed on him with an 
expression of utter amazement, seeing which a rapid 
wink was exchanged by the two rogues. 

“ What does it all mean ?” said the chevalier’s wink 
to the capt^n. 

11 Blessed if I know,” returned the versatile An- 
nibal’s. 

But the aspect of Mme. Brichet soon revealed the 
secret. 

Aurore, who until now had sat head down, her face 
hidden in her hands, suddenly raised herself, her feat- 
ures convulsed with agitation, and her eyes seeking De 
Cambiac, she tried in vain to overcome her nervous 
agitation and speak. 

“ It is Madame Brichet who has given the money to 
De Cambiac, and now she trembles for him,” thought 
De Lozeril, on seeing the young woman’s painful 
emotion. 

“ I understand now,” said Annibal to himself. “ The 
chevalier guessed rightly about the baron and Aurore. 
The little wretch has robbed me for her Gascon,” and 
the prudent captain, who had never for a moment lost 
his sang-froid , laid his hand quickly on Aurore’s arm, 
who, thus recalled to her senses, resumed her seat 
without having spoken. 

“ The child would have betrayed herself,” he thought. 
“ Better let events take their course ; but how the 
devil did she get hold of that money ! Can there be 
another door unknown to me in that room ?” 

Without seeking to explain to herself the rr^steryof 
the bank-notes, the Marquise de Brageron had grasped 
only the one all-important fact, namely, that De Cam- 
biac was lost. 

“ At last !” murmured the vindictive woman. 


132 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


Aurore’s agitation had escaped the watchful eye of 
M. de Badieres, from the fact that he and his confreres 
were busily comparing the notes already on the table 
with the bundle thrown down by De Ravennes. 

Under the vile aspersion of De Lozeril, the Baron de 
Cambiac had drawn himself up, quivering with indig- 
nation, but before he could pronounce a single word, 
De Ravennes had generously thrown himself into the 
breach. De Cambiac was so far away from the center 
of the movement that he had been quite unable to 
divine its cause, and surprised at seeing all eyes turned 
on himself with so strange an expression, he felt at 
once a vague presentiment of evil. 

“Baron de Cambiac, advance !” cried the stern voice 
of the president, and the young man, nerving himself 
with an effort, walked calmly toward the judge. When 
he found himself near the table, a glance at the notes 
at once explained the mystery, and he could not repress 
a slight start, which was not lost on M. Badieres. 
“ The letter that Monsieur de Ravannes has just shown 
us was written by you ?” 

“ It was, your worship.” 

“ While it refers to a duel that was to have taken 
place between you and M. de Lozeril, it also speaks of 
a debt and mentioned the amount which you had en- 
closed in this same letter. This sum was represented 
by the packet of bank-notes found in the envelope. 
Do you recognize it ?” 

“ Yes, your worship,” repeated the baron. 

The judge now turned toward the chevalier. 

“ M. de Lozeril,” said he, “ when you were attacked 
in the square how many bundles of notes had you on 
your person ?” 

The chevalier hesitated a moment before the in- 
famous falsehood he was about to tell, but a little dry 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


133 


cough sounding through the silence of the chamber 
smote upon his ear, and knowing that this was a com- 
mand from the marquise that he dared not disobey, he 
boldly answered : 

“ Four, your worship.” 

At this announcement, Annibal murmured gayly : 

“ Oh, oh, he seems to have forgotten all about the 
bundle he gave me. Why does he want to ruin the 
baron, I wonder ? Well, well, every man for himself, 
and so long as I get out of the scrape it ’s all the same 
to me.” 

“ Let the officer of the patrol who picked up the 
wounded man appear,” ordered M. de Badieres. 

The 'sergeant came forth from a group of witnesses. 

“ In your report you mention only three packets of 
notes found on the wounded man.” 

“ I can swear there were only three.” 

“ Do you recognize this packet ?” 

“Oh, yes ! I know it by the hole running through — 
I thought it was intended for a string to make a gar- 
land.” 

“ Good, you may sit down,” ordered the judge, and, 
turning to De Lozeril, he added : 

“ Be good enough to explain again to the court your 
reason for thus piercing these notes,” and the chevalier 
complied. 

When he had finished speaking, the judge, turning 
to M. de Cambiac, who had remained apparently in- 
different, said : 

“ M. de Cambiac, will you tell us how these notes 
which you gave in payment of your debt to De Lozeril 
came into your possession ?” 

But the baron remained silent. 

“ Take care ! Your silence is compromising. M. de 
Lozeril swears that he had on his person four of those 


134 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


packets and the sergeant’s report says that only three 
were found on him when wounded. What became of 
the fourth ? This bundle which you have acknowledged 
is likewise perforated. We are far from concluding 
that you are guilty, but in refusing to say from whom 
you received this money you cut short the thread of 
evidence, which, if we followed it up, might possibly 
bring us to the culprit, that is to the person who, hav- 
ing wounded the chevalier, had evidently only time to 
partially rob him.” 

“ Ah ! I suppose you mean that for me, you wretched 
old owl !” thought Annibal, on seeing M. De Badieres 
insensibly turn his eyes toward him. The baron still 
maintained silence. 

“ For the last time, sir, let me advise you to answer,” 
persisted the judge. But in vain. De Cambiac was 
immovable. “ What is it ? What do you want ?” asked 
M. De Badieres of the sergeant of the watch, who now 
signified his desire to speak. 

“ If you please, your worship, I forgot something in 
my deposition — something that I thought of so little 
importance that I did not enter it in my report, but I 
see now that I ought to have done so. It is this : 
That a few moments before finding the chevalier in 
the square, we had met M. De Cambiac.” 

“ You are quite sure ?” asked the judge. 

“ Perfectly certain, your worship,” replied the ser- 
geant, suddenly fixing his eyes on the baron’s feet. 

“What are you looking at ?” 

“ My word, but here is something queer ! Not far 
from the square and close to the garden of the house 
I picked up the half of a broken silver spur exactly 
like those M. De Cambiac now has on his boots,” and 
stooping down the better to examine the spurred heels 
of the baron, the soldier cried eagerly ; “ Why, look 


MYSTKRY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


135 


at this spur ! It is fresher than the other ! It must 
have taken the place of the one I found, and they^can 
he easily compared, for I gave it to the barkeeper of 
the Broc d’ Or in exchange for a bottle of wine.” 

The profound sensation made by this statement may 
be easily imagined. 

“ Everything goes against him,” thought De Lozeril, 
seeing how fate was playing into his hands. 

“ M. De Cambiac,” said the judge, turning to the 
baron, who still remained impassive as before, “you 
have refused to give us any information about the 
bank-notes, do you intend further to refuse to state 
whence you were coming, at midnight, when you were 
met so near the scene of this crime ?” 

Deadly pale but perfectly calm, De Cambiac at this 
appeal stepped forward, and extending his hand above 
Aurore’s head declared, in an impressive voice : 

“ This lady is innocent. I confess that it was I who 
attempted to assassinate the Chevalier de Lozeril !” 

On hearing these words, Madame Brichet suddenly 
stood up, uttered a piercing shriek and fell senseless to 
the ground. The public imagined that Aurore had 
been utterly overcome on thus finding her innocence 
proved, but there was one person who took a different 
view of the affair. Maurice Gardi could not banish 
from his mind the recollection of that mysterious exit 
from the window of the pavilion and the later episode 
of the broken spur. 

“ He is no. more guilty than she is,” he thought. 
“ But he is assuming the crime to save the honor and 
the life of the woman he loves.” 

At his side still remained Colard, who remarked : 

“ There is madame half out of her troubles, at all 
events. Now there only remains the death of Monsieur 
Brichet to be cleared up.” 


136 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ Let us hope that she will get over that also, Col- 
ard,” said Maurice, full of confidence in the baron’s 
devotion. “Yes, my good friend, you will soon see 
your mistress return to her home happy and respected.” 

“And rich? Is it not so ? For the will must then 
hold good,” added the old servant, becoming grave 
once more. 

“Oh, yes, certainly, her innocence proved and 
Monsieur Brichet’s death certified, she would of course 
inherit at once.” 

Two minutes later, when Maurice turned to address 
an observation to Colard, he was no longer there, and 
Maurice could not repress a smile, saying to himself : 

“ Poor old fellow, he has gone off to cry somewhere 
over Pauline’s sad fate. His devotion to her would 
actually make him desire Madame Brichet’s conviction.” 

After his confession and before the judge had time 
to order his arrest, De Cambiac had voluntarily placed 
himself in the prisoner’s dock between Aurore and her 
father. 

In order to give De Lozeril a few minutes’ necessary 
repose, the court had adjourned for a quarter of an 
hour. During this short interval, a great change had 
taken place in the public mind with regard to Madame 
Brichet who, having been cleared of one crime, was 
now unanimously voted innocent of the other. When 
De Cambiac had taken his place by Annibal’s side, the 
latter was in deep reflection. 

“ That blackguard, De Lozeril,” he thought, “ the 
brute, as soon as the trial is over he will pocket all 
these bundles of notes and say nothing about the one 
that is honestly mine,” and he kept his eyes fixed on 
his own particular parcel with an expression of affec- 
tionate regret. 

But the approach of the baron, recalling him to the 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


137 


present situation, he said, turning to the young man 
with a smile : 

“ Ah, baron ! How are you? It is quite an age 
since we have met.” 

“ I do not know you,” replied De Cambiac, with a 
gesture of unutterable disgust. 

“ Oh, indeed,” thought the philosophic Annibal, 
“ this young man chooses now to despise me. I, who 
was to have been his father-in-law ! Alas, for poor 
human nature ! De Cambiac won’t know me, Aurore 
compromises- me, and De Lozeril robs me. Dear, 
dear ! Well, I understand now why people become 
monks !” And overcome by so many disillusions, the 
captain went calmly to sleep. 

To the baron’s left, Aurore, recovering from her 
faint, but exhausted by the conflict of emotions raging 
within her, continued to sob convulsively, utterly un^ 
able to control herself. 

“ Aurore, dear Aurore ! See. Now we are once 
more together,” murmured the young man in a voice 
overflowing with tenderness, but Aurore could only 
answer faintly : 

“ Ah, Raoul, you have ruined yourself for me !” and 
her sobs redoubled. 

“ God will save us both, or we shall die together, my 
darling.” 

“ No no, I cannot accept such a sacrifice. I must and 
will speak.” 

‘‘No, my Aurore, you will remain silent, for your 
words, while they would save me, would be the death 
of your father, for everyone believes him guilty. Be- 
sides, my beloved, you could not own to the truth !” 

Like De Cambiac, Aurore, too, trembled for the fate 
of the captain, and she could only reply with a despair- 
ing groan. 


138 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


Under the care of Maurice, M. de Lozeril had re- 
gained sufficient strength to support the fatigue of a 
further attendance, so the proceedings were now again 
resumed. The trial had assumed a different aspect. 
The baron’s confession had obviated the necessity of 
prosecuting the first charge of the indictment. The 
inquiry now concerned the death of Brichet ; and M. 
de Lozeril repeated once more the story of his first ad- 
venture in the square, ending with the episode of the 
miniature. It was thought advisable to make a search- 
ing cross-examination of each servant in the house to 
elicit every particular concerning the days preceding 
Brichet’s disappearance. M. de Badieres was about to 
begin his interrogatory, when he was suddenly and 
noisily interrupted by the captain, who at that moment 
awakened from his balmy slumbers. Having been ap- 
parently inspired thereby, he now arose and cried in 
his tremendous voice : 

“ What the mischief is the good of beginning all that 
questioning over again, when the whole affair might 
be settled in ten words ?” 

The light guards prepared once more to hang on to 
the colossal “ obstructionist,” but M. de Badieres, fear- 
ing some deed of violence should the giant be too for- 
cibly coerced, ordered them to desist and gave him per- 
mission to speak. 

“ Faith, that ’s the first sensible word I ’ve heard to- 
day,” remarked the irrepressible, “and since it now 
seems possible, let us talk a little about this affair,” 
and with the most cynical coolness, Annibal, looking 
around the hall of justice, continued in a sarcastic 
tone : 

“ So long as it was a question of that knife that some 
amiable person stuck into the chevalier’s back, I held 
my tongue and allowed you to persist in your mono- 


mysterv of hotel brichet. 


139 


mania that it was I who had played the little game ; 
and now that my daughter and I have been proved 
perfectly innocent of that nocturnal frolic, here you 
are beginning to bother again with that old joke about 
Brichet’s death. Now, / want to ask you a question. 
How do you know he is dead?” 

“ The deposition of M. de Lozeril states it beyond a 
doubt.” 

“ Very well, just so. Supposing my son-in-law has 
been killed. Why should it follow that he has been 
killed by me ? I may be a drunkard, a gambler, fond 
of money, a quarrelsome fellow and anything you like. 
You can ring the whole gamut of vice up and down 
again so far as I am concerned, but no one will ever be 
'able to prove that Captain Fouquier was coward 
enough to kill a defenseless man. No, no ! Bring me 
ten armed men and I will hack them to pieces like so 
many flies, I’ll admit, but to touch my most mortal 
enemy unarmed, no, never ! not if I saw him asleep 
on sacks of gold !” 

Although the captain spoke in a rough and almost 
brutal manner, there was a ring of sincerity in his 
words that went home to the heart of his audience. 

“As to my daughter,” continued the giant, “you 
think it possible that she may have killed the good 
man. Well, for the sake of argument, I will admit 
your notion. But she could not have done it alone, and 
besides there is the man of the sack. Who was this man ? 
You will say it was I. Now the witness De Lozeril 
admits he could not see his face, but he had plenty of 
opportunity to notice his figure, and mine is no ordi- 
nary stature, and it must have struck the witness had 
it been I,” and so saying Annibal drew himself up to 
his immense height and turned toward De Lozeril, 
who, thus appealed to, could not but reply : 


140 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ The man was of middle height.” 

“ Then you see it could not have been I,” pursued 
Fouquier, “ and to whom, then, could my daughter 
have applied, always supposing her guilty, to help 
her in the accomplishment of this affair ? Examine her 
life, study her habits and occupations, question her 
servants, and you will never find around her any one 
person whom she could have pressed into her service. 
She has always lived in the strictest seclusion since 
Brichet’s disappearance, and her few visitors have 
been men above all suspicion.” 

The flippant tone adopted by Annibal in defending 
himself had given place to the most earnest pleading 
when trying to exculpate his daughter ; but, now 
resuming his former manner, he continued : 

“ It is, you see, the misfortune of having a black- 
guard of a father for which my poor little girl is made 
to suffer. Now, my amiable judges, you must give it 
up, for if it is only on my account that you suspect my 
daughter, I can easily prove to you that when the 
procureur disappeared I was hundreds of miles away, 
engaged in consuming the pension Brichet paid to me 
to be relieved from my amiable presence. He loved 
me at a distance, the good Brichet,” and at the recol- 
lection of his son-in-law, the captain burst into a roar 
of laughter. 

Although the captain’s defense was a peculiar one, 
to say the least, M. de Badieres was considerably im- 
pressed with its truth, and turning to De Lozeril, he 
asked : 

“ Do you persist in your declaration ?” 

“ I persist in maintaining that the dying man bore 
the strongest resemblance to the portrait of Monsieur 
Brichet, and I declare again that the man with the 
sack was not nearly so big as the captain.” 


MYSTERY OE MOTEL BRICHET. 


141 


And Annibal interrupted : 

“ Yes, every one says Brichet is dead, but no one has 
found the body ; now I just ask you how can there be 
a murder without a body ?” 

To this question M. de Badieres replied : 

“ At that time almost every night there was a mur- 
der by Cartouche and his people, and corpses were 
constantly picked up in the street. Brichet’s assassin, 
whoever he was, probably returned, carried off the 
body and threw it into the river.” 

Doctor Gardi might have given another solution of 
the mystery, but seeing that so far things were going 
happily for Aurore, he had hastened to carry the good 
tidings to Pauline, and was therefore absent at this 
moment. 

Observing that he had made a favorable impression, 
Annibal continued : 

“ So, you see, you don’t even know whether there is 
any corpse to accuse us of having assassinated, and you 
say it was ‘ in order to possess his fortune.’ It ’s false, 
and I beg you to remark that we have not yet had one 
sou of this money, but we have paid dearly enough for 
it in advance by all the sufferings of the last month. 
Come now, my good judges, be amiable and release us, 
for as the will bestows this fortune on us, let us go and 
enjoy it.” 

But the greedy Annibal had overstepped the 
bounds of prudence, for M. de Badieres instantly re- 
torted : 

“ Then you admit that Brichet is dead, for without 
that certainty you could not inherit.” 

“ But it is your worship who insists on his death, not 
I ; although it is true that your belief is founded on the 
assertion of a man who confesses he was dead-drunk.” 

But the captain had made a second mistake, for, al- 


142 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


though the audience laughed heartily at this remark, 
it irritated De Lozeril, who replied quickly : 

“ If Brichet was not struck down by you, it might 
have been done by some one else.” 

“ By no one who ever crossed the threshold of the 
Brichet house,” said the captain, with great dignity. 

“ Oh, indeed ?” retorted the chevalier, significantly. 
‘"Perhaps there were other means of entering the 
house besides crossing the threshold. There was the 
little garden door, for instance.” 

“ Oh, the viper !” thought Annibal. 

At this insinuation Mme. Brichet smothered a cry 
and De Cambiac started,, each foreseeing danger. It 
was a revelation to the judge, who now believed firmly 
that the baron was Aurore’s lover, and that through 
him she had accomplished the murder of her husband. 

“ Prisoner De Cambiac, stand up !” ordered the 
judge, severely. 

The baron arose, full of apprehension and dismay, 
but before the judge could utter a word, a man pre- 
cipitated himself headlong into the hall. Half beside 
himself, crimson with running and almost bursting 
with happiness, this man was Colard, who cried, in a 
voice trembling with joy and beaming with an im- 
mense satisfaction : 

“ Innocent ! Madame is innocent ! My master is 
alive ! He has just come home ! M. Brichet is fol- 
lowing me ! You will see ! You will see !” 




CHAPTER XIV. 

It is impossible to describe the scene of confusion 
that followed this extraordinary announcement. In 
vain the ushers called for silence, their voices being 
drowned in the tumult of excitement and noise. Ex- 
clamations were heard on all sides, the audience rising 
and clapping their hands for Mme. Brichet, who now 
became the heroine of the hour. Even the judges de- 
parted from their accustomed gravity. 

“ Ah,” cried Annibal, “my idiot of a son-in-law ar- 
rives just in time !” and so saying he calmly stepped 
over the railing of the prisoner’s dock and descended 
to the hall. He made straight for De Lozeril, who 
now found himself in the minority, the public looking 
with an evil eye on the man who had tried to compro- 
mise an innocent lady. The two rogues thus found 
opportunity to exchange a few rapid sentences in a low 
voice. 

“ Look here, captain, will you have a little more con- 
versation at three hundred crowns the minute ?” and 
Annibal scenting business, replied : 

“ Yes, when ?” 

“ At the doctor’s house, where I am completing my 
cure.” 

“ I ’ll come as soon as I can,” replied Annibal. 

[>43l 


144 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ All right, I ’ll count on you.” 

Aurore and De Cambiac still seated in the dock had 
also exchanged a few words. 

“ Aurore, my dearest, you are saved !” 

“ But alas, my Raoul, you have ruined yourself for 
me, and you will now be the victim of your too gen- 
erous devotion !” sighed poor Mme. Brichet, her beautiful 
eyes full of tears, as she looked fondly at her lover. 

“ Do not fear for me, my lovely one ! God will pro- 
tect us, and now that you are cleared He will come to 
my aid.” 

De Cambiac was here interrupted by the excited 
acclamations of the crowd : 

“ Here he comes ! Here he comes !” and at the en- 
trance of the hall appeared Brichet. 

Excepting that time had somewhat whitened his 
hair, the procureur was unchanged. He appeared in 
good health, his complexion was fresh and rosy and 
his usual placid smile was on his lips ; his dapper little 
figure was encased in the invariable suit of broadcloth, 
and his good-natured face tried to assume for the oc- 
casion an expression of gravity that ill became it. 
Brichet advanced to the tribunal with his habitual 
heavy tread, and in the midst of the intense silence that 
had followed his entrance, said, in a voice broken with 
emotion : 

“ I come to demand the liberty of my wife and my 
father-in-law, falsely accused of having murdered me.” 
So saying, he opened his arms to Aurore who, after a 
slight hesitation, surrendered herself to his embrace, 
and bursting into tears at the sight of the prisoners’ 
dock, poor Brichet sobbed out : “ Forgive me, Aurore ! 
Forgive my stupid disappearance which has had such 
terrible consequences for you !” And after another 
warm embrace the good man turned to Annibal and, 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


145 


giving him his hand, said : “ My dear father-in-law, I 
trust you will pardon me all the grief I have involun- 
tarily caused you.” 

And, while returning the pressure of his hand, An- 
nibal thought to himself : 

“ That will be an excellent pretext for getting him 
to double my allowance.” 

The trial of Annibal and his daughter being virtually 
at an end, the judges ordered their immediate release, 
but poor De Cambiac, having to pay the penalty of his 
noble self-sacrifice, was marched off to prison, there to 
await his trial. Aurore followed him with sad and 
longing eyes as, surrounded by the guards, he disap- 
peared from her sight. 

“ I will save him !” she murmured. “ I must, and I 
shall !” 

All was confusion once more. Many of his personal 
friends left their seats and surrounded Brichet, offer- 
ing him warm congratulations. The worthy procureur 
was quite overcome by all these demonstrations of af- 
fection and completely lost his head, addressing a lady 
as “sir,” and calling a stout old gentleman “lovely 
charmer,” and falling into many other very natural 
errors, for in truth the poor man could see nothing for 
the deluge of tears that blinded him. M. de Badieres, 
forgetting his role of judge, came in his turn to wring 
the hand of his good old friend, saying: 

“ My dear Victor, I trust you have returned to leave 
us no more.” 

And Brichet, who at that moment had dried his eyes 
and was thus enabled to recognize his old comrade, re- 
plied heartily : 

“Yes, indeed, I promise you that ! Come and sup 
with us to-night, and we shall celebrate the return of 
the prodigal.” 


146 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ I will, with pleasure.” 

And seeing that Brichet wished to depart, the crowd 
separated, leaving a passage for the procarear who, 
with his wife and his father-in-law by his side and fol- 
lowed by the beaming Colard, walked slowly out. 

On passing De Lozeril, the chevalier leaned forward 
and, examining Brichet attentively, said to himself : 

“ Yes, there is no doubt, that is the dying man whom 
I saw in the sack.” 

We leave our readers to imagine the happy commo- 
tion in the Hotel Brichet, and how the house cele- 
brated the joyful return of its master. A few hours 
later, ten old and intimate friends of the family, in- 
cluding M. de Badieres, were assembled around a table 
sumptuously served by the care of Colard, blazing with 
light and resplendent with burnished plate. 

Seated between his wife and daughter, whom he 
embraced incessantly, Brichet was serenely happy, and 
from time to time burst forth into a transport of de- 
light at finding himself once more surrounded by the 
joys of home. To each of his friends he recalled some 
incident of the past, to one a souvenir of some youthful 
escapade, and to another an occurrence of their ma- 
turer age, but to all Brichet was, as he had ever been, 
the same jolly, good-hearted comrade. Of all the 
guests, Annibal ate the most and talked the least, very 
deeply occupied in making up for the semi-starvation 
of the last thirty days, engrossed with the considera- 
tion of how he could possibly induce his son-in-law to 
augment his pension. But these two occupations did not 
necessarily preclude the possibility of a third, namely, 
observation of the procureur during the repast. Toward 
its close he remarked to himself : 

“Yes, it is true that one learns much in travelling, 
for Brichet, who before his voyage drank nothing at 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


14 ? 


all, seems now to be quite able to hold his own with 
the best of us !” 

And in truth, the worthy procureur continued to 
empty goblet after goblet at so alarming a rate, that 
Colard, who stood behind his chair always ready to 
serve him, feared for his master’s sobriety. Several 
times he affected not to see the glass that Brichet held 
out to be filled, but Brichet persisted so steadily in his 
demands that Colard was obliged to acquiesce. The 
obvious consequence was that on leaving the table to 
pass into the salon , the procureur was certainly rather 
“ the worse for liquor,” and this was the moment 
chosen by Annibal to make an appeal to the tipsy 
generosity of his son-in-law. 

“ What, already !” cried Brichet. 

“ By Jove,” thought the captain, “ he has not only 
learned to drink, but he knows how to keep his head,” 
disagreeably surprised at finding him as parsimonious 
as before. 

In the salon M. de Badieres, seeing Brichet still 
lavishing caresses on his wife and daughter and puz- 
zled how he could even have found it in his heart thus 
to abandon them, asked him suddenly : 

“ Come now, Victor, tell us why you ran away that 
fine morning !” 

“ Well, you see, my dear fellow, men will be fools at 
every age !” answered Brichet, looking rather shame- 
faced. ‘ ‘ Sometimes one becomes tired of being happy, 
and without rhyme or reason sets to work to make 
himself miserable. Then he fancies himself deceived, 
and blames others for the faults of which he alone is 
the inventor,” and turning to Aurore, he continued : 
“ Yes, without reason he blames other people for his 
own stupid fancies. It is true that he afterward feels 
ashamed of his suspicions.” 


148 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ Then why not have come back ?” continued M. de 
Badieres, who now concluded that Brichet must have 
yielded to one of those fits of jealousy so common to old 
men. The procureur began to smile at this question. 

“Ah, but that's quite another thing,” he said. 
“ Once a man has set off and finds himself in posses- 
sion of his perfect liberty it is not so easy to come back 
again. Pie feels a youthful passion for adventure re- 
vive within him, a passion that has been repressed by 
long years of restraint and duty.” 

“ Yes, yes, I understand ; it was your old mania for 
roaming that led you on ?” 

“Just so ; and one goes farther and farther, repeat- 
ing incessantly : ‘ I shall go home to-morrow,' until at 
last one realizes the fact that he has been making this 
resolution for two whole years !” and Brichet made the 
avowal of his misdoings with so much simple drollery 
that every one burst out laughing. Happy at finding 
himself forgiven, the good man now gave an account 
of his travels. He had visited the whole of Southern 
France, Toulon, Marseilles, Provence ; then venturing 
on the Mediterranean, he had journeyed to Malta, 
Messina and along the Turkish and Spanish coasts. In 
short, for three hours Brichet recounted minutely all his 
adventures by sea and land. Then enfolding his wife and 
daughter once more in a warm embrace, he declared : 

“ Well, after all my travels, I learned at last that 
there is no place like home dnd no happiness like the 
peace of one’s own fireside.” 

As Brichet lifted up his eyes in gratitude to heaven, 
they happened to fall on the portrait of M. de Vivonne 
over the chimney-piece, and what did it mean ? Strange 
to say, a slight grimace passed over his countenance at 
the sight of the picture hitherto regarded with so much 
reverence and adoration ! 





CHAPTER XV. • 

In those days, as in the present, public curiosity was 
as quickly extinguished as it was easily excited. For 
the first few days after Brichet’s return, the hotel over- 
flowed with visitors, but by the time a fortnight had 
elapsed no one thought of the matter. Brichet himself 
contributed not a little to this state of forgetfulness, 
rarely going out, avoiding society, and remaining, so 
to speak, immured in his hotel. To the very few inti- 
mate friends who reproached him with thus secluding 
himself, he would say, pointing to Aurore and Pauline : 

“ I wish now to make up for all the happiness I have 
so wantonly deprived myself of during the last two 
years.” 

Since his return he had renewed his old manner of 
living and installed himself in his own room. The 
years that had passed over his head seemed to have 
transformed his feelings for Aurore into a paternal, 
rather than conjugal, affection, and having visited her 
pavilion and admired and praised the luxury and taste 
there displayed, he left her at full liberty to enjoy with- 
out interruption her charming retreat. To Pauline, 
Brichet was ever the same generous and affectionate 
lather as before. 

“ Above all things,” he had said, passing his hand 
lovingly over her blonde curls, “don’t forget that 

fM9J 


150 


MYSTERY OE HOTEL BRICHET. 


Colard has received my strict orders to gratify all your 
caprices.” 

It was the captain alone who had reason to deplore 
the return of the fugitive, as he soon discovered to his 
cost that his halcyon days were over. Imagining that 
his interrupted orgies might now be resumed, Annibal 
invited all his boon companions to a grand carouse, 
and the procureur , not a little amazed at the unusual 
noise and commotion on the second floor of the hotel, 
naturally inquired its cause. 

The following day, on the guests presenting them- 
selves at the hotel for a renewal of festivities, they 
were met by Brichet, who, having pegged them to 
choose another field for their exploits, had politely 
shown them to the door. On hearing of this insult to 
his friends, Annibal, swearing one of his great oaths, 
rushed to the procureur with the intention of chastising 
his insolence, but, to his amazement, Brichet remained 
perfectly calm. 

“ What does this mean ?” roared the captain. “ Can 
I not invite a few friends ?” 

“ Why certainly, captain, as many as yoxi like. 
There are plenty of taverns where you can invite them 
to drink with you, but in my house I can’t have it. I 
am an elderly man, and I like to go to bed early, and I 
don’t care to hear over my head such a row as there 
was last night” 

“ Then I am to live like a stuffed bird ?” asked the 
captain, contemptuously. 

“ My dear and respected fatherdn-law, you know 
perfectly well that nothing prevents your removing 
from my house,” said Brichet, smiling, and then adding 
in a dry tone : “ And I would have you remember that 
the allowance I made you was on condition, if I mis- 
take not, that you should live at some distance.” 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


151 


“ Then you turn me out ?” cried Annibal. 

“ Heaven forbid ! Only I must be master in my own 
house.” 

This was said with an air of quiet decision that put 
an end to all further discussion, and the captain retired 
crestfallen, muttering : 

“ Yes, his travels have made him too wide-awake. 
He went away a sheep and now he has come back a 
porcupine. Devil take him ! I thought I should be 
so comfortable with him, and now I have not a sou in 
my pocket.” 

His good luck in getting out of prison had somewhat 
dulled the captain’s memory, but on realizing the very 
low state of his finances, his recollection awoke. 

“ Ah,” cried he, “now is the time to go and talk to 
De Lozeril at three hundred crowns a minute, as he 
proposed to me the other day,” and quickly crossing 
the garden, Annibal passed out at the little gate and 
hastened to the doctor’s house, where De Lozeril was 
still living. 

Nothing could have been more true than his reflec- 
tion on the changed character of Brichet. No longer 
the timid, amiable man of sixty years, passed in the 
quiet, uneventful routine of office, he had acquired a 
will of his own that revealed itself in the flash of his 
eye and in a certain quiet air of authority which he 
assumed over his household, although he remained 
kind and considerate as before. His inclination to 
corpulency had given place to a good healthy round- 
ness, denoting a vigorous condition, fatigue and exer- 
cise having seemingly developed and strengthened his 
muscles. It seemed surprising that he should bestow 
on Aurore nothing but a paternal affection. And yet 
his existence was simply that of a man in the decline 
of life, who cares solely for the few absolutely material 


152 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


joys left to him. To eat and to sleep seemed to be his 
greatest pleasures, and after rising very late he would 
proceed with a splendid appetite to the enjoyment of 
his three daily repasts. From having been a man of 
small appetite he was now transformed into an ogre 
which amazed Pauline. 

“ You see, little girl,” he would say, “ I have kept up 
my traveler’s appetite, which, unfortunately, cannot 
always be satisfied when on a journey, so you see I 
have to make up for many lost meals.” 

After supper Brichet would retire to his chamber, 
followed by Colard, whose duty it was to undress him. 
But it was somewhat remarkable that Colard never 
quitted his master’s room until three or four hours 
latfer. When Pauline, astonished, asked Colard the 
meaning of his remaining so long every night, he re- 
plied, smiling : 

“ I fear, mademoiselle, that your papa is not yet 
cured of his passion for travelling.” 

“ Why, you don’t mean to say he thinks of going off 
again !” cried Pauline, alarmed. 

“ No, no, not at all. He is much too happy with you, 
mademoiselle, to think of leaving you, but as he cannot 
travel in person, he likes to do so in imagination ; so 
every night when he is in bed he makes me read to 
him from a pile of books of travel he brought home 
with him, and he listens with such interest that he 
keeps awake for hours.” 

Reassured by this explanation, Pauline thought no 
more of the nightly vigil, which continued as before. 
Certain it was that Brichet derived the keenest satis- 
faction from Colard’s reading, and so careful was he to 
remain in undisturbed privacy during these hours, 
that he gave Colard orders before commencing to 
lock the door of the antechamber leading to his rooms. 


MYSTERY 'OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


153 


“ Monsieur is asleep,” was the word given to the ser- 
vants for any late visitors who might present them- 
selves at the hotel. These visitors were rare, for the 
society of the Hotel Brichet speedily became reduced 
to M. de Badieres and the notary, who was also an old 
friend of twenty years’ standing. Since his return 
Brichet had had several important conferences with 
the latter concerning his immense fortune, which was 
so safely and carefully invested that the notary actu- 
ally gasped with astonishment on hearing Brichet 
propose to realize on several millions’ worth of stock 
that he might have the ready money at his disposal. 

“ But what would be the good of retiring so large an 
amount of capital only to keep it lying unproductive ?” 
cried the lawyer. 

“ I wish to have my daughter’s marriage portion in 
my own hands, ready, for she must now be married. 
She is twenty years of age, and I must have her set- 
tled,” replied Brichet with all the solicitude of a good 
father. 

And the lawyer, yielding to so natural a desire, 
promised at once to procure the money. 

But on leaving Brichet, Colard stopped him on the 
stairs and asked him anxiously : 

“ Did you notice nothing strange about my master, 
sir?” 

“ What was there to notice ?” asked the notary, curi- 
ously. 

Colard shook his head and answered sadly : 

“ Heaven grant that I may be deceiving myself, but I 
have a dreadful presentiment that M. Brichet has taken 
it into his head to go off again and that he is preparing 
for another trip.” 

“ Is it for that, then, the old fool wants me to get 
him his money?” cried the imprudent notary. 


154 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


At this revelation Colard, clasping his hands, said 
most earnestly : 

“ Do nothing of the kind, sir, for God’s sake, nothing 
of the kind. Do not help him in his mad scheme, but 
don’t say a single word about what I have told you. 
Only invent delays — gain time somehow — two or three 
months if you can. In that time we shall have made the 
dear gentleman so happy that he will have no wish to 
leave us.” 

And, touched by the grief of the good Colard, the 
notary had promised to delay as long as possible com- 
plying with Brichet’s request. 

Besides the notary, as we have said, M. de Badieres was 
the only other intimate friend at the hotel. At their 
second interview the judge had recounted to Brichet 
all that Cartouche had revealed in his confession. 

Brichet was much amazed at the judge’s recital, 
crying : 

“What, my dear Jacques, is it possible you could 
really believe for a moment that I had taken up with 
such a gang of thieves ? I’m obliged to you for the 
compliment ! 

“ By the way,” continued Brichet, “ you must intro- 
duce me to this young De Lozeril, who invented this 
story of seeing me dead. He has made himself 
famous.” 

“ Oh, well, if that was his object,” said the judge, 
“ he did not count on getting that frightful wound 
which still keeps him at the doctor’s.” 

“ I should like to know if he will persist in his asser- 
tion after seeing me. I must see him one of these 
days. Where does his doctor live ?” 

“ In the Rue St. Louis, just behind this house.” 

“ Is it he whom they call Maurice Gardi?” asked the 
procureur. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


155 


“ Do you know him ?” said the judge. 

“ No ; but I saw him from the window this morning 
when he came into the garden. Colard had fetched him 
to see Aurore,” and at this name a painful expression 
appeared on Brichet’s face, and he continued in a voice 
full of tender solicitude: “ Yes, my poor Aurore is 
seriously ill from the results of that scandalous trial. 
My sweet love ! How terribly she must have suffered 
in the prisoner's dock ! She, who had not the very 
shadow of a fault to reproach herself with !” 

“ Keep your mind easy,” he answered. “ Your wife’s 
health is in good hands. I have the highest opinion of 
Doctor Gardi,” and M. de Badieres rose to take 
leave. 

It was pitch-dark as M. de Badieres crossed the 
garden. As he approached the little door a hand was 
laid on his arm, while a voice said in accents of deep 
despair : 

“ In the name of all you hold most sacred, sir, take 
pity on an unhappy woman, who will die if you refuse 
to hear her.” 

M. de Badieres had recognized Mme. Brichet, and 
touched by her heartbroken appeal, he yielded to the 
hand that drew him toward the pavilion. A bedroom, 
a dressing-room and a little boudoir formed the whole 
interior, and it was into the last of these three rooms 
that Aurore led the judge. Besides the candles on the 
mantel the dainty boudoir was lighted by a blazing 
fire, sparkling and crackling in the grate, and by its 
reflection the judge could easily observe the great 
alteration in Aurore’s appearance. She who but a few 
weeks before had been resplendent with every charm 
of youth and beauty, was now pale and thin, her face 
nervously convulsed and burning with fever, her eyes 
red from the tears that never ceased to flow, Aurore 


15G 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


had become the most lamentable spectacle, with 
scarcely strength to drag her weary limbs. 

The judge had not yet recovered from his painful 
surprise, when Mme. Brichet, falling at his knees and 
holding out her clasped hands, cried to him, in a voice 
of supplicating anguish : 

“ Save Monsieur de Cambiac !” 

At this despairing appeal, compromising as it did 
his duty as a magistrate, M. de Badieres forced him- 
self to resist, and replied with feigned calmness : 

“ Monsieur de Cambiac, madame, is in the hands of 
justice. I can do nothing for him.” 

“ He is innocent. I swear it !” 

“ Did he not himself confess his guilt ?” 

“ He deceived you, sir.” 

“ Then let him explain the motive that tempted him 
to make such an avowal.” 

A groan seemed to rend Aurore’s bosom as she 
answered breathlessly : 

“ He would rather die than explain.” 

Now, beneath the iron exterior of every judge there 
exists a man, and therefore a large amount of curi- 
osity. M. de Bedieres, being suddenly seized with an 
ardent desire to fathom the secret of his friend Bri- 
chet’s marital position, he resolved, if possible to ex- 
tract it from Aurore. Bending over the unhappy 
young woman who writhed at his feet, he gently 
raised her, and, leading her to a large arm-chair in the 
chimney-corner, he said to her, in a voice of persuasive 
sweetness : 

“ Tell me the truth, dear child. You love M. de 
Cambiac ?” 

“ Yes,” whispered Aurore. 

“ How long have you loved him ?” 

“Since before my marriage. I was engaged to 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


157 


Raoul, but my father broke his promise that I might 
marry M. Brichet.” 

“ And you continued this guilty love ?” 

“ Guilty !” she cried with sudden energy. “ What 
do you mean ?” 

“ Why, did you not resume your intimacy after your 
marriage ?” asked the judge, astonished at Aurore’s 
vehemence. 

“ No, sir. Never. Once married to M. Brichet, I 
cannot say I forgot Raoul or ceased to love him, but I 
never saw him — that I swear.” 

“ And did he never attempt to see you ?” 

“ Once only ; he wrote a note.” 

“ What did he say in it ?” 

“I don’t know,” said Aurore, greatly embarrassed. 

“ Then you refuse to tell me all the truth ?” 

“ On my honor, sir, I am telling it to you faithfully. 
1 opened the note and I had only time to look at the 
signature when M. Brichet suddenly entered. In my 
confusion I think I remember throwing the paper into 
the fire-place, where, I imagine, it must have been 
burned, for some hours later I could not find a vestige 
of it ; and I am almost certain I threw it there in the 
first movement of surprise.” 

“ When did this happen ?” 

“Three days before my husband’s disappearance.” 

After reflecting for a moment, M. de Badieres con- 
tinued : 

“ In the trial, you remember, the notary deposed 
that he thought you husband had some motive for 
irritation against you the day preceding his departure, 
when he went to his office to alter the will he had made 
in your favor. Do you not think it possible that this 
note, which you imagine to have been burned, may 
have been found by Brichet ?” 


158 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ No,” replied Aurore ; “ that is impossible, for we 
went out of the room together, and I never left M. 
Brichet alone a single moment, and then I returned to 
my room alone and searched for the note, and on not 
being able to find it I remembered have thrown it in 
the fire-place.” 

“ Then you never replied to this letter of which you 
did not know the contents ? When did you next meet 
Monsieur de Cambiac ?” 

“ Six months after my husband disappeared we met 
quite by accident. At that time it was generally be- 
lieved that my husband was dead. I had almost a 
right to think myself a widow. My heart was free and 
— I loved Raoul — ” 

“ Then you consented to see him ?” 

“ Monsieur de Cambiac claimed an interview on a 
matter of business. There was a certain restitution 
to be made to him. When we were engaged Raoul 
had lodged a large sum of money in my father’s hands, 
who had — forgotten — to give it him back,” said poor 
Aurore, hesitating at the word “ forgotten.” 

“ Yes, and then ?” said the judge, still curious. 

“ Useless to say that this money was never once 
mentioned at our interview. We talked only of the 
future, all our hopes and bright projects being founded 
on the certainty of my husband’s death.” 

“Was that all ?” asked the judge, dryly. 

At this question, of which she divined the hidden 
meaning, Aurore replied with fiery indignation : 

“ On my soul’s salvation I am an honest woman. 
Married against my will to an old man whom I could 
not love, I have respected his name, and I swear to 
you I have defended my honor as a wife against the 
longings of my heart.” 

“ Faith ! Brichet has had a narrow escape,” thought 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


159 


the judge, convinced by Aurore’s evident sincerity, 
and she continued : 

“ This rendezvous was to be our only one. When I 
left Raoul at the garden door, it was agreed that we 
should not meet again until the day that, legally free, 
I might have the right to love him without remorse. 
Raoul loves me nobly, and he accepted this sacrifice 
with resignation and left me.” 

“ And you saw him no more ?” asked the judge, fas- 
cinated by her recital. 

A sob burst from Aurore as she replied : 

“ To our misfortune it happened otherwise. Fifteen 
months had elapsed since this interview. Monsieur 
de Cambiac was insulted and a quarrel ensued over 
cards, which resulted in an engagement to fight with 
that Chevalier de Lozeril whom you saw at the trial.” 

M. de Badieres, deeply interested, pricked up his ears 
at this name. 

“ In the excitement of play the baron had lost four 
thousand crowns on parole. His adversary was so 
basely insulting as to refuse to fight until after the 
payment of this debt. Thirsting to avenge himself, 
but not having the money at hand, Raoul in an evil 
moment remembered the fifty thousand francs owed 
him by my father. He thought naturally that my 
marriage must have placed me in a position to lend 
him this sum, and he wrote ine a few words of despair, 
which, short though they were, made me tremble for 
him, and, without knowing what danger threatened 
him, I consented to receive him.” 

Aurore bent her head and continued her recital with 
sobs and tears : 

“Yes, I remember that dreadful day of agony. Oh, 
how long it was ! Raoul was here all day in this 
boudoir , always on the point of going, and always de- 


160 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


tained by me in the hope that I might think of some 
way of raising this money. I told him I could get it, 
but it was not true. My life here had been so quiet 
and so simple I had never thought about money, and 
it had never occurred to me that I might be in want 
suddenly of a sum like this, or I might have saved it. 
Then I thought of asking our steward for it, but on 
what pretext ? For he would naturally be amazed at 
my requiring four thousand crowns at a moment’s 
notice. Still, I resolved to ask him. Then Monsieur 
de Lozeril arrived and told us that story of the murder, 
and you may imagine what I suffered during the 
dreadful hours that he remained here.” 

“ Well, but did you get the money ?” asked the judge, 
impatiently. 

“ Only in the evening. I ended by saying to myself 
that I was mistress in my own house, and not answer- 
able to my servants, so summoning up my courage, I 
spoke to Colard, my heart beating wildly, though I 
managed to smile.” 

“ Colard must have been astonished ?” 

“ He was too respectful to show any surprise, and 
he replied that he had not so large a sum in hand, but 
that he could get it in two days from the notary, who 
was then absent from Paris. Two days hence! Do 
you understand ? And to save the honor of Raoul I 
required the money within two hours, and the fatal 
moment was near.” 

“ What did you do then ?” 

“ I listened to Colard’s reply with a smile on my 
lips, but my knees trembled under me and I could 
scarcely stand, and I was about to faint when some- 
thing Colard said gave me a ray of hope.” 

“ What was that ?” 

“ On leaving me, he remarked with a smile : ‘ After 



A MOMENT LATE It PAULINE HAD APPEARED. — See l J (Uje 242 









f 





' 



■ 















MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


161 


all, it is perhaps as well that madame cannot have 
this money now, as it would only have gone into M. de 
Lozeril's pocket, who is gambling with the captain in 
his room.’ From this remark I understood that Colard 
supposed I wanted the money for my father, and 
further, that at that moment he and the chevalier were 
playing in the hotel.” 

“ That was the game that was mentioned in the trial ?” 

“ Yes, but after that all that M. de Lozeril deposed 
was false. Listen now. On hearing what Colard said, 
a mad idea came info my head that perhaps my father 
might be winning and that he might lend me the 
money. As soon as I could get rid of Colard I slipped 
quietly up a secret staircase which opens into my 
father’s room by a door carefully concealed in the 
painted woodwork. I believe no one knows of this 
stair but myself.” 

“ Why do you think so ?” asked the curious judge. 

“ Because when I was first married,” replied Aurore, 
“ I inhabited the rooms my father now has, and my 
husband’s rooms being just below, we used this secret 
stair. I reached the little door opening into my 
father’s room, and I listened. I had intended to wait 
until M. De Lozeril had gone, but imagine my delight 
when I heard them settling some account by which 
the chevalier owed my father six thousand crowns ! 
‘ Here is the sum,’ cried M. de Lozeril, and I heard the 
dull noise of a parcel thrown on the table. They then 
withdrew to the other side of the room, and I could not 
hear distinctly what they said. Presently the noise of 
the door being closed, followed by retreating foot- 
steps, told me that they had left the room. I opened 
the secret door and glided in. The first thing I saw 
was the packet of bank-notes. I seized on it. Raoul 
was saved !”* 


162 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


During this recital Aurore had been inspired by a 
kind of fictitious strength, and now appeared ex- 
hausted. 

“ Rest now, dear child,” said the judge. 

“ No,” she replied, “ I must go on to the end. I 
cannot tell you the delight I felt on securing this 
money. It belonged to my father and he owed it to 
Raoul, who could thus receive it without the slightest 
scruple. In a few seconds I was back in the pavilion, 
where the baron awaited me. ‘ Here,’ I said, ‘ my 
father sends you this. Pay M. de Lozeril and then 
kill him P And I gave him the bundle of notes, which 
he put in his pocket. The hour had come when we 
must part. We were just entering the garden that 
Raoul might pa^s out by the little gate, when we heard 
my father shouting and evidently running in great 
excitement toward the pavilion. We had scarcely 
time to leave the garden and shut ourselves in here. 
Knowing that my father must have discovered his 
loss, and that a single word from him would reveal to 
Raoul that he knew nothing of the restitution, and 
feeling certain that the baron would then refuse to 
accept the money, I hastily threw open the window 
looking out on the Rue St. Louis, and cried to Raoul : 

* Some one is coming ! You must not be found here P 
Without another word he jumped from the window 
into the street. I had scarcely closed it when my 
father began hammering at the door, which I then 
opened. I had guessed correctly. He was furious at 
the mysterious theft.” 

“ And when you told him the truth he started in 
pursuit of the baron, did he not ? And then meeting 
the chevalier on the way, the temptation was too strong, 
and he attempted to kill and rob him ?” 

But Mme Brichet shook her head. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


163 


“ No,” she said, “ that is impossible, for he ques- 
tioned me a good hour.” 

“A good hour, do you say?” asked the judge, 
astonished. 

“ It was certainly an hour,” replied Aurore. 

“ During that hour the chevalier was assaulted,” 
commented the judge, who had hitherto been firmly 
convinced that the captain had committed the crime. 

“ My father and Raoul are alike innocent of this 
infamy,” insisted Aurore. “ It was doubtless some 
common robber of the night, and Monsieur de Lozeril 
has taken advantage of the crime to revenge himself 
on Raoul. It is outrageous to say that Raoul tried to 
avoid his duel by committing a crime. Oh, he is a 
cowardly liar !” 

“ My child, you must not say so. Monsieur de Lozeril 
may have been mistaken, but I think he has been sin- 
cere in his error.” 

Weak as she was, Aurore raised herself in her chair, 
anger giving her strength, as she cried : 

“ Yes, he is a liar ! If he were sincere why did he 
not tell of this bundle of bank-notes given to my 
father ? Why did he say that when he was attacked 
there were four bundles on his person when he knew 
perfectly well that there were only three ? He said 
nothing of the bundle he left with my father — the 
bundle that has so fatally compromised Raoul !” and 
at this beloved name Aurore wept bitterly, but she 
continued, with the energy of despair : 

“ To save my honor Raoul has declared himself 
guilty ! But I shall save him. I will not accept this 
noble sacrifice ; yes, I shall speak. Before Heaven 
and in the public court I shall proclaim the truth ! 
Raoul shall not lose his life for my sake. I love him ! 
Oh, I love him ! And I shall .cry it out before the 


164 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


judges,” cried Aurore, half mad with grief and pas- 
sion. 

“ My unhappy child, have you forgotten that Brichet 
has returned ?” asked M. de Badieres. 

This name fell like a thunder-bolt on the poor girl. 
She fell back in her chair, panting. The light seemed 
to fade out of her eyes, and her face contracted nerv- 
ously. 

“Yes, yes, my husband !” she murmured in a scared 
tone, like a frightened child. 

“ Come, Aurore, courage !” said M. de Badieres, 
feeling the deepest compassion. “ God, who has sent 
you this terrible trial has at least allowed you the con- 
solation of being able to tender a pure and honest 
forehead to your husband’s kiss.” 

A convulsive shudder ran through Madame Brichet 
as she murmured, inspired with a secret horror : 

“ Ah, yes ! That kiss, it is horrible ! It chills me 
to the bone. Ah, it is strange !” 

“ What do you mean ?” 

“ Once,” she replied, as if speaking to herself, 
“ though I could not love M. Brichet I respected and 
liked him, but now he horrifies me.” 

Overcome by her confession, Aurore fainted. 

M. de Badieres rushed to the door to call for help, 
and on the threshold he encountered Colard. 

“Ah, M. de Badieres,” said he, “ I have come to ask 
for my master how Madame Brichet is feeling this 
evening ?” 

“ Madame Brichet is very ill ; run quickly for the 
doctor,” ordered the judge. 

Colard ran and soon returned, followed by Maurice. 
On looking at his patient, Maurice reassured M. de 
Badieres. 

“ It is only a fainting fit,” he said, “ Madame Brichet 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


165 


must have had some strong emotion, which, in her 
present weak state, has been too much for her ; but in 
five minutes she will come to herself.” 

The magistrate retired, leaving the doctor free to 
restore Madame Brichet, Colard following respectfully 
to shut the garden door behind him. 

“ Do you know whether M. Brichet has had any 
misunderstanding with his wife ?” asked the judge, 
• mindful of Aurore’s confidence. 

“ The thing is impossible ; he adores his wife. You 
cannot imagine how wretched he is at seeing her in 
such poor health, sir ! He speaks of it every moment 
of the day, and he would not go to bed until I had 
come to ask for her once more.” 

“ Shall I go up and tell him of her condition ?” sug- 
gested M. de Badieres. 

“ Well, sir, my master is already shut up in his room, 
and you know his mania,” stammered Colard, appar- 
ently confused. 

“ Yes, yes, to be sure, it is his hour for shutting 
himself up with his books of travel,” said the judge with 
a smile, recalling Brichet’s craze. 

Colard smiled also. 

“ Oh, sir,” he said, “ it would not be so bad if it was 
his books alone, but I am shut up, too ! He keeps me 
there reading to him for hours, when I am longing for 
my bed.” 

“ I have half a mind to let you go to bed to-night 
and take your place as reader,” said M. de Badieres, 
hesitating on the threshold ; but a sudden summons 
from the doctor for Colard and the darkness of the 
night prevented him from seeing the tremor that 
seized Colard at this proposition. 

“ Good-night, Colard,” he said. “ The doctor calls 
you. Another evening you shall take me up to your 


166 MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 

master,” and he passed out, Colard shutting the door 
quickly. 

Maurice had been quite unable to revive Mme. 
Brichet ; and after using all the usual restoratives, 
he had called the steward. 

“ Colard, go up to my room and at the left corner of 
my bureau you will find a little blue bottle that I had 
prepared to-day for Madame Brichet. Bring it here.” 

Colard speedily returned with the bottle. The doctor 
laughed. 

“ My word,” he said, “ you would make a poor apoth- 
ecary.” 

“ Why so ?” asked the old man. 

“You would soon make an end of your clients if you 
treated them ter such mistakes as this!” 

“ Is that not the bottle you wanted, sir ?” 

“I told you a blue bottle and you bring me this.” 

“ Is it not the same thing, sir ?” 

“ Well, not quite ; for with six or eight drops of this 
you might kill an ox in one moment.” 

“Oh, my God !” cried Colard, turning pale at the 
thought that if Maurice had not observed the mistake 
it might have cost Mme. Brichet her life. 

“ Come, run quickly and fetch me the other and put 
this back in its place.” 

But as he spoke Aurore opened her eyes. 

“ There. She ’s coming to !” said Colard, lingering. 

“ Go, stupid !” cried Maurice, pushing him toward 
the door. 

When Colard returned with the blue phial it was 
not needed. Madame Brichet had regained con- 
sciousness. 


CHAPTER XVI. 


At the moment that the above scene was passing* 
in the pavilion, the captain was engaged in his room 
in a most singular occupation. With his ear applied 
to the woodwork surrounding the apartment, he was 
tapping and sounding every panel with his forefinger. 
During the day Annibal had gone to the doctor’s house 
to visit De Lozeril. On his arrival he found the invalid 
reposing on a sofa. 

“Ah,” cried the chevalier, “here is my amiable cut- 
throat at last.” 

Instead of resenting this epithet, Annibal burst out 
laughing. 

“ Indeed, if y ./u had really thought about it twice 
you would have seen what a stupid idea of yours that 
was.” 

“ Why stupid ?” asked De Lozeril. 

“ Because, if I had seriously undertaken to do the 
business I would have done it well.” 

“ Really ?” 

“You have my positive assurance,” returned the 
captain, quietly ; and then, as if he were discussing 
some conventional subject, he added. “ I do not know 
what fate may have in store for us, but if it should 

[i6 7 J 


168 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


ever be my lot to have to kill you, rest assured I shall 
do my work right well:” 

Despite all his bravery, these cold-blooded words 
sent a shudder through the chevalier, and he was im- 
pelled to say : 

“ But I hope that now we are to be friends, my dear 
Fouquier !” 

“Eh? Who knows?” said Annibal, with a little 
grimace, “ you have such a queer way of treating your 
friends. You go and write stupid compromising letters 
about them and then get yourself stabbed in the street, 
and the police get hold of your beautiful effusions and 
take them for gospel. You can’t do that, my dear 
fellow. You can’t do that and expect to keep your 
friends !” In expressing himself thus, Annibal seemed 
so good-natured and sincere that the chevalier felt 
shaken in his conviction that the captain was his as- 
sailant. 

“ Come, now, Fouquier, don’t bear any malice. I own 
I did a stupid thing then. I give you my hand !” 

“ Is that all you are going to give me?” asked An- 
nibal. 

“ And what more do you want ?” 

“ Faith ! I want my packet of bank-notes that 
helped you to get De Cambiac in the toils. You must 
admit it served your purpose uncommonly well.” 

“ My dear fellow, could you ever think — ” began De 
Lozeril, attempting a denial ; but Annibal cut him 
short by saying : 

“Well, well, it is all the same to me — don’t trouble 
yourself. All I care about is the return of my bundle 
of bank-notes.” 

The chevalier pointed to the table where the money 
was lying, and said : 

“ There, my dear Annibal, take back your own !” 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


169 


The captain extended his hand greedily. 

“ Hello ! Look out !” cried De Lozeril quickly. 
“ You’re taking two packets instead of one.” 

“ Ah, so I am,” said Fouquier, regretfully letting 
one go. 

“ Now that you have got your money, allow me to 
ask you a question. Can you explain how that bundle 
of notes got into the hands of the baron ?” 

“ Well, I can’t tell you anything positively, but I 
have a supposition to offer.” 

“ What is it ?” 

“ That my daughter, though she has denied it through 
thick and thin, had something to do with it.” 

“ Did you give her the money to keep for 
you ?” 

“ Not a bit of it. She simply stole it, the little 
devil !” 

“ Never !” 

“ That astonishes you, does it ? Well, you remem- 
ber that when you gave me the bundle of notes I laid 
it on the chimneypiece ?” 

“ Perfectly.” 

“ Well, when we left the room, I carefully shut the 
door behind us. When I came back — no money there 
— clean gone. So that my supposition is there must 
be a secret door in my room.” 

These words recalled a fact to De Lozeril also, and 
he cried eagerly : 

“ Yes, there is a door !” 

“ How do you know ?” asked Fouquier, amazed. 

The chevalier told him how on that memorable 
evening he had seen Colard go directly to a certain 
angle of the room where there was no visible exit, and 
how the chevalier’s exclamation had suddenly recalled 
Colard to his senses. 


170 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ This secret door must exist, captain,” he said, in 
conclusion, “ and you must find it.” 

“ I have tried everywhere,” declared Annibal. “ I 
thought there must be a stair communicating with the 
garden, but there is no door of any kind outside the 
house.” 

“ Then the staircase must be between the firsthand 
second stories,” suggested De Lozeril. 

“ If that were so it would be queer,” grinned the 
captain, “ for then I could get down into Brichet’s 
rooms, which are so carefully locked up in his absence.” 

“ Do you suppose he leaves his keys lying on the 
table ?” asked the chevalier. 

“ Oh, come ! What do you take me for ?” cried An- 
nibal, pretending to be shocked. 

“ And, if this stair exists, are you sure it goes to 
Brichet’s rooms ?” 

“ Oh, perfectly.” 

“ What a pity?” sighed De Lozeril. “ I only wish it 
went to Pauline’s.” 

“Get along with you ! You don’t mean to say you ’re 
still after that little game. I thought Brichet’s return 
put that out of your head for good- and all.” 

“ On the contrary, I intend to go straight to Brichet 
and ask him for his daughter’s hand.” 

Annibal burst into a roar of laughter. 

“Bless your innocence !” he cried. “ Don’t you wish 
you may get it ?” 

The chevalier was offended at his raillery, but the 
captain proceeded : 

“ Look here, my friend. It is useless for us to flatter 
each other or to choke ourselves with compliments. 
We ’re a couple of scoundrels, and neither of us is worth 
a red herring. Now, Brichet is one of those prudent, 
economical, shrewd men of the middle class that 


MYSTERY OE HOTEL BRlCHET. 


171 


hates our kind. He has 'quite enough in having a 
father-in-law like me without adding a son-in-law of 
the same kind to his collection. I tell you at the very 
first hint you give him of your ‘ intentions ’ he will 
politely show you the door.” 

“ Bah !” said De Lozeril, with a shrug. 

“ Oh, but there is no ‘ bah ’ about it ! The old fellow 
is a mule that nobody can make drink when he isn’t 
thirsty.” 

“ Oh, by taking proper measures one might succeed, 
I think.” 

Annibal burst out laughing. 

“ You may tickle him as much as you like, but find 
out his sensitive point you never will, for he hasn’t 
got one.” 

“ Oh, hasn’t he though!” retorted De Lozeril, 
crossly. “ My dear friend, every man has a sensitive 
point if you can only find it.” 

“ You don’t imagine you have found the sensitive 
point of my son-in-law ?” 

“ Well, I have been reflecting on what motive 
Brichet can have in preserving an absolute silence as 
to the murderous attack of which he was certainly 
the victim. When I discover his motive for that, I 
have my man.” 

“ But, my good friend, there’s no motive to find ; he 
never was attacked ; there isn’t the slightest scratch 
upon him.” 

“ You may tell that to the marines, captain.” 

“ No, but seriously, chevalier, you don’t rely on the 
story of the man in the sack ?” 

“ Of course I do.” 

“ Well, but you know, old fellow, you admit you 
were so awfully drunk that night.” 

De Lozeril interrupted the captain sternly. 


m 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ I saw Brichet the other day in the Hall of Justice, 
and I tell you he was the same man I saw in the sack.” 

“With an awful wound in the neck, eh?” 

“Yes, just like mine. One would think the same 
arm had struck us both.” 

“ Bosh !” answered Annibal. 

“ Well, look at Brichet’s neck, and you will see I am 
right.” 

The captain shook his head and reiterated : 

“ Bosh, I tell you ! The very night he came back he 
stooped down to poke the fire in the dining-room, and 
then I saw his neck distinctly.” 

“Well ?” asked De Lozeril anxiously. 

“ I can swear his neck is no more wounded than 
mine,” answered the captain, gravely. 

“ Then he is not Brichet.” 

“ Rather say your friend in the sack wasn’t Brichet.” 

This conclusion was so just that De Lozeril’s faith 
in his own belief was shaken. 

Annibal continued : 

“ I can understand how you may have been deceived 
by a strong resemblance, but for me that would be 
impossible. Oh, I warrant you he is my son-in-law, 
body and soul, and no mistake. I recognized him only 
too well — first by his face, then by his voice, his man- 
ner, his habits, his recollection of the merest trifles, 
his whims, his manias, and last, but not least” — and 
here poor Annibal heaved a tremendous sigh — “ his 
obstinate refusal to give me money. “ An impostor 
might succeed in deceiving outsiders, but the mem- 
bers of a man’s family could never be, for there are a 
thousand little trifles that speak for themselves. After 
two long years Brichet has come back and set himseif 
down in his own chair in its own corner. His. little 
jokes and his old repartee are just the same. He goes 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


173 


to the window and drums the same tune on the same 
pane of glass, while watching the rain. He likes or 
dislikes the same old dishes, and after dinner he sits 
crumbling his bread just as he did before. Every 
moment he asks why something has been put on the 
left that used to be put on the right, and he even asked 
for his old clothes that Pauline had given away. Yes, 
yes, I tell you a man might personate another in a 
general way, but in trifles known only to his family he 
would be certain to fail.” 

“ Yes, you are right there,” said De Lozeril, com- 
pletely convinced. 

“ Oh, faith ! From head to foot he ’s Brichet all 
over. Only his travels have made him more energetic 
and more selfish in holding on to his money. A little 
while ago you were talking about his sensitive point. 
By Jove ! I wish I could find the sensitive point that 
would make him part with his crowns !” 

De Lozeril could not help laughing at the captain’s 
despair, as he continued : 

“ And yet I did hope for a moment I had found it 
out ; yes, the evening of his arrival at supper I really 
thought he had brought back with him the most de- 
licious of all vices. I thought he had actually learned 
to drink. My word, didn't he pitch into the wine that 
night ! But, alas, it was for one night only, for the 
next day he was at his ‘ eau roujie ’ again just the same 
as ever ! So it is very clear that drinking is not his 
sensitive point.” 

“ But he must have it, and we must find it !” 

“ Oh, yes, of course he has one, but it ’s no earthly 
good to us. It ’s a mania for travel.” 

“ And these two years of roaming have not cured 
him ?” 

“ Well,” replied Annibal, “ if one is to believe the 


174 • 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


ravings of that old driveling idiot, Colard, we must be 
prepared to see Master Brichet on the march again 
before long. Under pretext of realizing a marriage 
portion for Pauline, he has ordered the notary 
to sell out stock to the tune of two or three mil- 
lions.” 

De Lozeril pricked up his ears. 

“What,” he cried, “ three millions ?” 

“ Neither more nor less, and some fine morning 
Master Brichet will slip through our fingers with this 
nice little sum for traveling expenses. It appears that 
the old fool is so cracked about his blessed travels that 
every night he keeps Colard reading for hours, and 
nothing but accounts of voyages please him.” 

“ What ! Every night ?" asked the chevalier, his 
suspicions aroused. 

“Yes, and with all the doors locked so that they 
may not be disturbed.” 

“I smell a rat!” cried the chevalier. 

“ Where ?” asked Annibal, puzzled. 

“ Supposing the sensitive point was there . Look 
here, old fellow, you try to find out whether Brichet 
really spends his nights in listening to Colard reading 
books of travel.” 

“ And how the devil am I to know ?” 

“ Go into his room and see.” 

“ But I told you he has all the doors double locked,” 
remonstrated the captain. 

“ What, do you stick at such a trifie as that ?” 

“Well, rather,” said Annibal, contemplating .his 
own huge body. “You don’t imagine I can get 
through the keyhole, do you ? It’s true I might break 
in the door with a hatchet, only that isn’t a very good 
way of getting into a room when you don’t want any- 
body to hear you.” 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


175 


“ True,” said De Lozeril, and he fell into a deep 
revery, broken by heartfelt sighs. 

“ I must say,” remarked Annibal, “ you take my 
affairs very much to heart.” 

“Yes, for, you see, your affairs are to a certain ex- 
tent my own. As I am anxious to marry Pauline, I 
do not relish the idea of Brichet walking off calmly 
with his millions.” 

“ Hum; hum,” growled the captain, not much 
charmed at the prospect of having to share Brichet’s 
fortune with De Lozeril. But the young man appeared 
not to notice Annibal’s bad humor, and murmured to 
himself : 

“Ah, if I were only well, I should go myself, and I 
know I should find it out.” 

“ Find what out ?” asked Annibal, curious. 

De Lozeril pretended to be embarrassed, and cried : 

“Ah, you read my thoughts !” 

“ Not very difficult when you speak them out loud !” 
laughed the captain. 

“ To tell you the truth, my good Annibal, I was 
thinking of that secret door which must exist in your 
room.” 

“ What were you thinking about it ?” 

“ I was thinking that it must open on a stair con- 
necting the two stories. Don’t you see how ?” 

“ I believe you, and we should be able to get into 
Brichet’s room without the trouble of breaking in the 
door with a hatchet !” 

“And then you would soon find out whether your 
son-in-law is so very fond of listening to books of 
travel, you know.” 

“ What a splendid idea !” 

“ Yes, but the main point is to discover the door,” 
remarked the practical chevalier. 


176 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ I will go at once and set to work,” said Annibal 
quickly, rising to go. 

“ All right, and as soon as you have any news for 
me I count on your letting me know,” added the 
chevalier, giving his hand to Fouquier, who, holding 
it in his large grasp, said, as if speaking to himself : 

“Let’s see, didn’t the chevalier ask me to come and 
talk with him at three hundred crowns a minute ?” 

De Lozeril took the hint and cried : 

“ Why, yes, and I was about to commit a most unpar- 
donable forgetfulness in overlooking the payment for 
your precious time. Just take one of those bundles of 
bank-notes lying on the table.” 

“ Thanks,” said the crafty Annibal. “ Really, I was 
not thinking at all about it ; but as you wish it, I will 
comply,” and the captain seized another packet, which 
disappeared in the depths of his pocket. 

The two scoundrels separated with the warmest 
protestations of friendship, but the door had no sooner 
closed than the chevalier remarked : 

“ That old ruffian is a precious deal too greedy, and 
I shall take good care he doesn’t get the chance of 
making himself sick over Brichet’s millions.” 

While De Lozeril thus moralized, Fouquier also had 
time to reflect. On reaching the foot of the staircase 
he said to himself : 

“ If De Lozeril dies of choking, it won’t be from 
swallowing the fortune of my son-in-law.” 

The result of this interview was that Fouquier, as 
we have seen, immediately set on a tour of investiga- 
tion in his apartment. Examining the woodwork for 
the second time, but still without any result, it oc- 
curred to him that another means might be more suc- 
cessful ; so taking a lighted candle in his hand, he 
began the experiment anew. At every corner, at the 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


177 


tiniest crack, at the smallest interstice, between the 
panels or the molding, he held the light, but the flame 
always went straight up without the slightest inclina- 
tion to flicker. 

“ Where the mischief can it be ?” growled Annibal, 
beginning to lose patience. “ But, ah ! At last-! 
Eureka !” 

In the corner, near the chimney-piece, the flame bent 
over to one side, a small current of air escaping from 
a joint in the molding. 

“ That ’s it,” cried Annibal, joyfully. “ The air from 
the staircase must be blowing through that crack.” 
The rest was easy. “ As simple as saying ‘ good morn- 
ing,’ ” he said to himself, pressing the spring with his 
finger. The door flew open, and he saw before him a 
little spiral stair cut into the thickness of the wall. 

“We will visit our dear son-in-law,” said the captain, 
venturing on the tiny stair, which scarcely seemed 
fitted for one of his corpulency. Thirty steps below 
he came to a door exactly resembling the one above. 
Annibel held up the candle and carefully examined 
the spring. 

“ Good,” said he, “ same as the other.” He blew 
out the light and then gently opened the little door, 
advancing with cautious footsteps. He found himself 
in the salon opening on Brichet’s bedroom, whence 
there issued a strong light, enabling the captain to see 
pretty clearly. 

All was silent ; but presently a sound fell on his ex- 
perienced ear that was not to be mistaken. 

“ That ’s the drawing of a cork and the pouring out 
of wine,” thought the astonished captain. Advancing 
on tiptoe, he gained the door of the bedroom and 
peeped in. Words are powerless to describe the 
stupefied amazement of Annibal at what he beheld. 


178 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


Alone, before a table on which were a number of bot- 
tles, more than half of them empty, his eyes heavy, 
his under lip protruding and his face flushed, Brichet 
was engaged in trying, with a shaky hand, to fill an 
enormous glass and carry it to his lips !” 

“ Drunk as a lord !” said the captain to himself, with 
the most sincere admiration ; and Brichet was drunk 
indeed, in that state of heavy intoxication that utterly 
extinguishes a man’s intelligence, turning him into an 
idiot or even lower than brute beasts. 

“ Seven, eight, nine ! Faith, the old gentleman is 
making a pace !” murmured Annibal, as he counted 
the bottles consumed by Brichet ; and then, like the 
old war horse, whose nostrils quiver at the smell of 
powder, Annibal lovingly inhaled the perfume of these 
solitary libations. 

“ By Jove, that ’s good wine. The very best. The 
old villain!” he said enviously, and at that moment 
Brichet again raised the enormous glass to his lips 
and drained it without drawing breath. 

“Well done,” thought the captain, “ I couldn’t have 
done better myself,” as he followed the operation with 
the air of a connoisseur ; then smiling, he said to him- 
self : 

“And I, who was such an ass as to believe he never 
drank anything stronger than eau rotijie — I declare I 
begin to respect the old humbug.” 

The sight of the regiment of bottles on the table had 
such an irresistible fascination for the giant that he 
could not help advancing nearer. In doing so he 
stumbled against a large arm-chair that barred the 
way. At the sudden noise the drunkard raised his 
heavy head and asked in a thick voice : 

“ Is that you, Colard ?” 

“ Ah, yes, his fine reader !” chuckled Annibal to 


MYSTERY OE HOTEL BRICHET. 


179 


himself in high glee, standing perfectly still ; but, as 
if in response to Brichet’s appeal, the key was turned 
in the door of the antechamber and Colard entered. 

- Fouquier slipped behind one of the heavy window 
curtains and watched Colard, who locked the door of 
the outer room, and crossing the salon , entered 
Brichet’s bedroom. The door was shut behind him so 
that Annibal could see no more, and could only depend 
for further information on his ears. He approached 
softly and listened. 

“ Ah, here you are at last. What kept you so late ?” 
asked Brichet. 

“ I was detained in the pavilion, as madame was 
taken very ill.” 

“Oh, indeed, and so my beloved wife is ill, is she ?” 
asked Brichet, with a sarcastic indifference that dum- 
founded the captain. 

“ I left Doctor Gardi, and he will remain all night, 
in case of another attack,” replied Colard. 

“ Ah ! Very convenient ! Handsome young doctor ! 
He likes the pretty brunette, does he ?” sneered the 
procureiir , with little of the manner of a jealous hus- 
band. 

“You are wrong there, for the doctor only came 
because I was sent to fetch him.” 

“ You were sent ! Who sent you, 1 should like to 
know ?” asked Brichet savagely. 

“ Monsieur de Badieres, who, on leaving you this 
evening, went to the pavilion to visit Madame Brichet.” 

“ Ah, then it’s the judge who’s sweet in that direc- 
tion, is it ? And does he think he ’s going to pass his 
life here, the old imbecile ?” cried Brichet in a tone of 
drunken ill-humor. 

“ Do you mean to say you would quarrel with the 
magistrate ?” asked Colard, quickly. 


180 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ No, but he bores me all the same. I ’d rather have 
the company of that out-and-out ruffian Annibal any 
day.” 

The amazement of Fouquier may be imagined at 
hearing the sarcasms thrown by Brichet at his wife 
and his most intimate friend, but his sentiments 
changed to absolute stupefaction on thus hearing him- 
self preferred to M. de Badieres. He, for whom Brichet 
had ever shown the deepest repulsion ! 

“ What !” he said to himself, feeling intensely flat- 
tered. “ Is it possible Brichet can mean me ?” But on 
reflection, he added with sincere regret. “ What a fool 
I am ! Of course the old fellow is as drunk as a piper 
and doesn’t know what he’ s saying. Well, well,” he 
continued, “ it ’s downright shameful to drink like that 
all alone, when one has a father-in-law like me, so 
ready to join him !” 

Here the voice of Brichet cried hoarsely : 

“ Colard. Quick, bring more bottles !” 

“ More ! Good God !” thought the captain. 

“ No, no, you have drunk enough,” answered the 
major-domo, quietly. 

“ Do you mean to say you refuse me wine, you black- 
guard ?” 

“Yes,” said Colard, shortly. 

“ Didn’t you promise me I should drink as much as 
ever I liked ?” roared the procureur . 

“You have made enough promises to me that you 
haven’t kept,” replied Colard, dryly. 

“ What did I promise ? To hide myself from Pauline 
and Aurore when I drank. Don’t I let you lock me up 
every night ?” cried Brichet, more and more furious. 

“You made another promise beside that.” 

“ Ah, so I did. The one you make such a fuss 
about !” cried Brichet, with a mocking laugh. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


181 


“ Sign that document directly and you shall have all 
the wine you want.” 

“ To-morrow,” growled the drunkard. 

“ No, now ; it won't take you five minutes. We 
have here everything we require, and you must do as 
I tell you.” 

“What the devil does he want to get out of him,” 
thought Annibal, trying vainly to understand. He 
heard the moving of a piece of furniture, and then the 
voice of Colard saying : 

“ Come, sit down at this table and do what I re- 
quire.” 

“I don't feel capable of doing it well. I am not 
sufficiently practiced. I shall make a mess of it — that 
I swear ?” 

“ Try, at all events, and I shall judge.” 

“ All right, I '11 try,” consented Brichet, and the 
sound of an arm-chair being pushed away told the 
captain that the procureur had risen ; then his heavy 
and uncertain footsteps shuffling along the ground 
proved that he was trying to reach the other table of 
which Colard had spoken ; but the procureur suddenly 
appeared to change his mind, for he stopped half way, 
and with a stupid, drunken laugh exclaimed : 

“ Fiddle de dee !” 

“ What, won’t you do it ?” asked Colard. 

“ Fiddle de dee !” repeated the drunkard. 

“ You promised me most faithfully,” began Colard, 
but he was interrupted by Brichet, who, betwixt laughs 
and hiccoughs, stammered out : 

“ Look here, you blockhead, I am pretty drunk, but 
not drunk enough for that. It would be downright 
idiocy if I should choose to go on living here, happy 
and quiet, eating and drinking the best. Wait patiently, 
old man. The time will come.” 


i82 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


** When ?” asked the steward shortly. 

“ When I get sick of this luxurious but monotonous 
existence, and the whim takes me to be off some fine 
morning.” 

“ Evidently he is thinking of decamping again,” said 
Annibal to himself, catching this last phrase, the only 
one of the whole conversation that had been in any 
degree intelligible to him. Brichet now apparently 
returned to his seat, for the next sound he heard was 
the procureur crying imperiously : 

“ Now, bring more wine !” 

l ‘No, I tell you, you’ve drunk enough. You had 
better go to bed,” urged Colard. 

“ Wine, I tell you !” roared the drunkard, fu- 
rious. 

“ Come, now, be reasonable,” began Colard, but he 
was again stopped short by the procureur, who shouted 
in a drunken frenzy : 

“ Wine ! Hell and thunder, more wine !” and then 
there followed a frightful noise of glass-breaking. It 
was Brichet, who pitched the empty bottles one after 
another around the room, howling with maudlin feroc- 
ity : “ More wine ! More wine !” 

“ Hold your tongue ! Be quiet !” supplicated Colard, 
terrified ; but the drunken man was deaf to all reason, 
and in a blind fury reiterated : 

“ Bring me more wine, or I shall go down and fetch 
it myself !” 

“ That you won’t !” answered Colard. “What, show 
yourself to Pauline and the servants in that state !” 

But opposition, seemingly only added fuel to the 
flame, for now the captain heard a tremendous shock 
and the salon was suddenly flooded with light, Brichet 
having, with a vigorous blow, burst in the bedroom 
door and thrown himself into the room with a view of 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


183 


thence gaining the staircase and putting his threat in 
execution. 

Annibal had scarcely time to retreat behind his 
sheltering curtain, when Brichet, having reached the 
center of the salon , all at once stopped short, and 
crying, hoarsely : “ More wine !” raised his hands 
quickly to his forehead, staggered and fell senseless 
to the ground. 

Colard, who had closely followed him, threw him- 
self down beside his master. 

“ Dead ! Is he dead ?” he stammered in a broken 
voice, and, exerting an almost superhuman strength, 
the old man lifted in his arms the heavy, lifeless mass 
and carried it to the bed. 

He examined anxiously the rigid features, noting 
the livid hue. 

“ What shall I do ? My God ! How to save him !” 
said the faithful old servant, beside himself with 
terror. 

“ Ah !” he said. “ The doctor promised to stay all 
night with madame ; I shall call him,” and he dis- 
appeared, running. 

Left alone, Annibal quitted his retreat, and walking 
to the bed, gazed calmly at the insensible man. 

“ Bah !” he said, with a gesture of disgust. “ I know 
what that means ; wine and rage combined have pro- 
duced a nice little fit of apoplexy ! Well, the room 
will soon be full of people. I must go.’ 

He had scarcely closed the secret door when Colard 
arrived with Maurice. On entering the bedroom the 
doctor ordered the windows opened. While the old 
servant ran to obey, Maurice approached the bed. 

The reader will doubtless remember that when 
Brichet appeared at the tribunal, Maurice had quitted 
the Hall of Justice. This was, therefore, the first time 


184 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


he had ever been face to face with the father of his 
beloved Pauline. He bent over the sick man, but his 
eyes no sooner fell on the face of his patient than he 
started back, deadly pale, and a prey to some violent 
emotion. He hesitated for a moment, then, with a 
feverish hand tearing- open Brichet’s shirt, he examined 
his neck eagerly. 

“Strange !” he murmured. 

Colard, having been occupied in opening all the 
windows, did not see the movement. 

“ You will save poor, dear Brichet ; won’t you, sir?” 
he asked in a voice trembling with anguish. 

“Yes, Colard. I’ll answer for him,” replied the 
doctor, who had quite regained his composure. 






CHAPTER XVII. 

On the day following the scene described in the last 
chapter, the chevalier left the doctor’s house for the 
first time and went to the hotel of the Marquise de 
Brageron. Without a moment’s delay he was ushered 
to the lady’s presence. She received him in a little 
boudoir , whose sacred doors opened only for her most 
intimate friends. De Lozeril, knowing well her cus- 
tom, was somewhat dismayed at finding this distinction 
conferred on him by the lady who had so readily con- 
sented to a rupture. 

“ Can she be thinking of taking back the liberty she 
gave me ?” he thought. 

Proud, vindictive and arbitrary, the marquise made 
a pastime of love. She had many admirers, but only 
one had awakened a gleam of human tenderness within 
her marble breast. There soon came the humiliation 
of finding her affection despised, and she, who had 
inflicted so much cruel suffering on others, had now to 
submit to the pain and ignominy of abandonment by 
the only man she had ever truly loved, the Baron de 
Cambiac. 

Finding herself thus scorned, there awakened with- 
in her another sentiment— hatred. Everything con- 
cerning Raoul seemed to add fuel to the flame of her 

fi85j 


186 MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 

4 

bitt er hatred, and even his devotion in sacrificing him- 
self for Aurore’s life and honor only redoubled her 
animosity. 

She had flushed with shame and anger when the 
valet had announced M. de Lozeril ; she felt humil- 
iated that her scheme of revenge on Raoul should 
induce her to accept the aid of such a man, and it 
made her the more furious against De Cambiac that 
on his account she should have condescended to such 
baseness. 

De Lozeril was, therefore, much deceived when he 
imagined that the marquise had any desire to renew 
their friendship. Far from stirring any chord of ten- 
derness in her h,eart, his presence only inspired her with 
disgust. Nevertheless she received him with a smile 
on her lips, congratulating him on his convalescence. 
But when he announced his intention to leave the 
doctor’s, the marquis upbraided him for such an un- 
wise proceeding, reminding him of the compact into 
which they had entered concerning Pauline and her 
fortune, alleging that she could no longer be near his 
beauty, and consequently not in a position to pursue 
so easily his speculation. 

“ Oh — oh, marquise, speculation ! What a shocking 
word !” 

“Well, we may as well call a spade a spade, my 
dear. You know very well that Mademoiselle Pauline’s 
greatest charm in your eyes is her millions ; so I say 
it is most imprudent of you to put yourself out of the 
way at the very moment you ought to have an eye on 
the enemy’s camp.” 

“ But I have an ally who will keep a lookout 
for me.” 

“And who is he ?” 

“Captain Annibal Fouquier.” 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


187 


The marquise shrugged her shoulders contemptu- 
ously. 

“ I never thought you were such a fool ! I could 
appreciate your alliance with Annibal when you both 
expected to inherit the dead man’s shoes, but now that 
Brichet has returned to wear the shoes himself, it is 
quite another thing. Now Fouquier will naturally look 
after his daughter’s interests.” 

“ Oh, I shall look after him,” replied the chevalier, 
smiling. 

“ Take care, don’t trust him ! Annibal is a most 
dangerous adversary ; either he will get the better of 
you, or, if you succeed in outwitting him, he will crush 
you like the utter brute he is.” 

The calm assertion of the marquise forcibly re- 
minded De Lozeril of Annibal’s assurance of the pre- 
vious day : “ If it shall ever be my lot to have to kill 
you, I shall do my work right well,” and the chevalier 
shuddered. 

Mme. de Brageron continued : 

“ While he vows friendship to you outside the hotel, 
believe me, he will take care you don’t get inside until 
he has the procureur well in hand.” 

“ Indeed,” cried De Lozeril, bursting with laughter, 
“ why, Brichet can’t endure the very sight of him !” 

“ But who knows what may happen, and whether 
something quite unforeseen may not put Brichet in his 
power ? The captain and Aurore between them would 
soon manage to feather their own nest, and what then 
would become of the millions that makes Pauline’s 
eyes so bright to your deluded gaze ? Tell me, now, 
how many other allies can you count in that house ?” 

“ Not one. Pauline knows nothing about me. The 
doctor cannot assist me in any way. I could not ask 
the support of M. de Badieres, for I firmly believe he 


188 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


detests me ; and as for Aurore, of course, she hates 
me on account of her beloved Raoul. So, you see, I 
am absolutely reduced to holding on to Annibal as my 
only chance.” 

“Did you not speak the other day of an old valet ?” 
reflected tbe marquise. 

“ Colard ?” 

“ Yes ; what sort of a man is he ?” 

“ Oh, a good old house-dog, devoted to his master, 
and having no will but his. I can do nothing with 
him.” 

“ Well, then, listen, chevalier ; this is my advice : 
You must enter boldly the Hotel Brichet, where you 
may count upon as many enemies as there are inhab- 
itants, then go straightway to Brichet and ask his 
daughter’s hand.” 

The chevalier, amazed at the audacity of the plan, 
replied that it was quite useless. 

“ Why do you say useless ?” asked the marquise. 

“ Because,” objected the chevalier, “ it is well known 
that I have no fortune, and — ” 

“ That you are an adventurer of the very worst pos- 
sible reputation,” continued Mme. de Brageron tran- 
quilly. 

“ Oh, come, marquise, you are too severe,’’ stam- 
mered De Lozeril. 

“ But if you dare not try the experiment yourself,” 
suggested the marquise, “ why don’t you get some one 
to try it for you ? One, of course, whose name, rank 
and position would cover all those deficiencies in the 
man represented.” 

“ Who would undertake such a commission for me ?” 
cried De Lozeril. 

“ 1,” she cried in a cruel, hard voice, “ and I intend 
to go into that house and meet face to face the woman 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


189 


who has robbed me of Monsieur de Cambiac. It is 
not enough for me to bring disgrace on him, for I will 
bring her to misery and despair. Yes, I shall enter 
that house, and if I can only get a footing I shall make 
her pay dearly for the triumph that has cost me so 
many bitter tears.” 

De Lozeril listened calmly to this explosion of spite- 
ful rage, reflecting on the advantage of the acquisition 
of such an ally in his contest with the captain. 

Mme. de Brageron, having regained her composure, 
continued : 

“ I will do all I can to help you in winning Pauline, 
but in return I expect you to help me in my venge- 
ance on Aurore. Is this a bargain ?” 

“ You have my assurance,” replied De Lozeril. 

“ Very well. Then give up your idea of leaving the 
doctor’s house. Your visit of to-day will have fatigued 
you. You are not yet very strong ; in short, invent 
some pretext for remaining with the doctor and in the 
neighborhood of the hotel.” 

The chevalier bowed in acquiescence. 

“ Some time during the day I shall present myself 
at the procureur's . Now go.” 

Thus dismissed, De Lozeril went his way. 



I 


CHAPTER XVIII. 

On the previous evening, when Colard, at a late 
hour, had rushed out in search of the doctor, the 
sensation created among the domestics of the hotel by 
the old man’s agitated movements may be imagined. 
It was not long before every servant in the house had 
presented 1 himself at the door of Brichet’s apartments 
to tender his assistance. One after another had noticed, 
with amazement, the scene of disorder, for Colard, in 
his confusion, had not time to conceal the traces of 
his master’s carouse. The array of empty bottles, the 
fumes of the wine that had been carelessly spilled in 
all directions, and the half-empty glass standing on 
the table, were all evidences of the real nature of 
Brichet’s pretended “ readings.” 

Pauline, whose rooms were in the other wing of the 
hotel, had heard nothing of all this noise. The cap- 
tain, after having regained his apartments by the 
secret staircase, sat down in a large arm-chair and was 
soon lost in thought. 

“ Let ’s see,” he reflected. “ Is it necessary for me 
to tell De Lozeril about what I have just seen, or shall 
I keep it to myself ? When I agreed to share equally 
with the chevalier, Brichet was still absentand I knew 
nothing about the contents of his will ; I thus secured 
the half, supposing that my idiot of a son-in-law had 

[i 9 o] 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


191 


left nothing to Aurore. But now it is quite another 
affair, for Brichet has returned and, so far as I know, 
has. not changed the will he made in favor of Aurore, 
so that all I have to do is to keep the old fellow in good 
humor. And what is De Lozeril going to do ? To get 
his share by marrying Pauline ! Well, I must take 
good care that the greedy fellow does not upset my 
basket, and that he does not ingratiate himself with 
Brichet.” And the captain smiled with satisfaction. 
“ Perhaps I won’t have to watch so very long, for 
these fits of apoplexy often carry people off in a 
twinkling ; in which case Master de Lozeril may take 
to his heels as speedily as possible. But whatever 
happens, I may be quite easy, for I know henceforth 
how to manage my tipsy son-in-law. ‘ Find out his 
sensitive point,’ says De Lozeril, ‘ and we shall do the 
trick together.’ Very well, my dear friend, here it is, 
and now you go to the deuce and I w T ill do the trick 
myself,” and Annibal, chuckling, rubbed his hands in 
high glee. “ Ha, ha ! Master Brichet loves good 
wine, does he ? Well, he shall have as much as ever 
he likes in spite of old Colard.” But here the captain 
paused in his pleasing reflections. The name of the 
valet started a new train of thought. Why should 
Colard so strongly urge Brichet to assent to some- 
thing, and why should the procureur persist that he 
was not yet sufficiently practiced ? What could the 
thing be which Colard promised to reward with more 
wine ? The captain was curious and vaguely alarmed, 
and for the next hour puzzled over the mystery. “Can 
Colard be a designing rascal who is trying to turn his 
master’s intoxication to his own benefit ?” But then, 
why should he manifest so much anxiety and even 
despair at his master’s lifeless condition ? “ No, no,” 

said the captain, “ Colard is not a rogue. Not know- 


192 MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 

in g I was there, he had no need to pretend such devo- 
tion ; his agitation was natural.” 

The noise on the stairs now became so deafening, 
the servants rushing hither and thither, that Annibal 
thought it prudent to emerge from his seclusion, lest 
his continued silence should awaken suspicion ; so 
assuming the appearance of one just roused from 
sleep, he went quickly from his room to the first floor, 
where he met one of the valets leaving Brichet’s room. 

“ What’s the matter, Louis ? What’s all this noise 
about?” he asked, feigning a great yawn. 

“ Oh, captain, don’t you know Monsieur Brichet is 
dying ?” 

Annibal’s ingenuous countenance expressed the most 
painful astonishment as he exclaimed : 

“ Good God ! Is it possible ? My beloved son-in- 
law ! We must send instantly for the doctor.” 

“ Doctor Gardi is already with him, sir.” 

“ And what does he say ?” asked the captain with 
the most distracted solicitude. 

“Alas!” replied the man, “the doctor has bled 
Monsieur Brichet, but he has not as yet shown any 
sign of life. He lies there as stiff as a stick and as red 
as a poppy. I believe it ’s all up with him, sir,” and 
the valet shook his head sadly. 

“ All up with him !” repeated Annibal with a sigh. 
“And if he should die without the consolation of 
being surrounded by those he loves ?” 

These words reminded the valet of a duty that had 
been forgotten in the sudden confusion, and he said : 

“ That is true, sir. I will run for madame and. 
mademoiselle,” but the captain stopped him. 

“No, no, my good Louis,” he said, “let the poor 
ladies alone. It will be time enough to wake them at 
the last moment. But summon Monsieur de Badieres 


Mystery of* hotel brichet. 


193 


and Maitre Bandinau, two devoted friends of your 
master. They will be grateful for being called in time 
to press his hand once more. Run, Louis, and tell 
them,” and the captain watched the servant hastening 
on his errand with much satisfaction. 

“There, now my mind is easy,” thought he, “ for if 
De Lozeril should say I made an end of Brichet, I shall 
have two good witnesses to give him the lie,” and well 
pleased with himself Annibal passed into his son-in- 
law’s bedroom. As the valet had said, Brichet had 
not yet regained consciousness. Seated by his bedside 
was Maurice, watching the sick man, who was slowly 
reviving. 

“ He is regaining consciousness,” whispered the 
doctor to Annibal, who entered on tiptoe with a woe- 
begone air. Annibal took a seat quietly beside Colard. 

Ever since he had been called, Maurice had remained 
in a deep reverie, his eyes fixed on the procureur. Sev- 
eral times, however, he turned, and, looking earnestly 
at Colard, seemed about to speak, but the words died 
on his lips. Now, however, Maurice seemed entirely 
absorbed in the care of his patient, and after an hour’s 
intense anxiety, Annibal heard the doctor pronounce 
with great satisfaction : 

“ He is saved.” 

“ Devil take that doctor,” thought the captain. 
“ Why can’t he tell us something agreeable ?” 

Brichet opened his eyes, and, on seeing the captain, 
an expression of satisfaction showed itself on the sick 
man’s face, much to Annibal’s amazement. At that 
moment the judge and notary arrived, joyfully holding 
out their hands to Brichet, whom they expected to find 
in the last agony. Their greetings over, Brichet’s first 
thought was for poor old Colard. 

“ My good Colard,” he said, affectionately, “you see, 


104 


MYSTERY OF 4 HOTEL BRICHET. 


now, I am in excellent company ; take advantage of 
it and go sleep a few hours. At your age, sitting up 
all night is too much for one’s strength. Go, my 
friend, go and sleep, and these gentlemen will stay 
with me.” 

M. de Badieres and the others joined in entreating 
Colard to heed his master’s injunction. 

Whereon the old man bowed to the gentlemen and 
left the room. 

“ He seems to go with regret,” remarked the notary. 

“ He is so fond of me,” said Brichet, with emotion, 
“ the good fellow !” 

A minute later, the invalid complained of his head 
being too • low, and Annibal, being close to the bed, 
hastened to adjust the pillows. As he bent over the 
bed, Brichet whispered quickly in his ear : 

“ Annibal, I beseech you not to leave me alone with 
Colard for an instant.” 

No one else had heard a single word, or even seen 
Brichet’s lips move ; and Annibal could scarcely believe 
his senses as he gazed in astonishment at the still and 
impassive face of the procureur , bnt he received Bri- 
chet’s recommendation with silent stoicism. 

The doctor now rose to take leave, and Brichet, 
opening his eyes at the slight movement in the room, 
turned toward him and asked : 

“ What do you prescribe for me, doctor ?” 

“ Rest, for the present.” 

“ And for the future ?” 

“ Give up drinking, or another attack like this will 
kill you.” 

After this warning, and as if he would shake off the 
somber fancies that had haunted him during his at- 
tendance in the sick-room, Maurice walked swiftly 
toward the door. He paused on the threshold, and, 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


195 


half turning back, gazed long and earnestly at his pa- 
tient, as if about to speak, but suddenly changing his 
mind, he passed through the doorway, without having 
uttered a word. 

“ I thought the doctor was going to give us some 
parting injunctions,” remarked M. de Badieres. 

“ Yes,” said the notary, “ he stood there, apparently, 
thinking what he should say.” 

“ Oh, you don’t see the joke,” cried Annibal, gayly. 
“ The doctor is like all the rest of his profession. They 
don’t like leaving a patient without being asked to 
come again.” 

“The captain is right,” said Brichet with a smile, 
already ungrateful to the man who had just saved his 
life. 

On leaving the procureur's bedroom, Maurice stood 
still in the middle of the salon, lost in thought. So 
deep was his reverie, that he did not observe the 
peaceful figure that advanced to meet him, and only 
woke from his pre-occupation when a sweet voice 
asked him eagerly : 

“ You have saved' my father, have you not, Monsieur 
Maurice ?” 

At sight of Pauline, Maurice changed color. 

“ Yes,, mademoiselle, do not be anxious. He is out 
of danger.” 

“Oh, I am so glad !” cried the young girl, raising 
her lovely eyes to his face and holding out her hand 
with grateful happiness ; but on touching his, she ex- 
claimed, with simplicity : “ What makes you tremble 
so ?” 

For an answer, Maurice’s fingers closed around the 
soft little hand that lay so confidingly in his, and he 
drew Pauline to the opposite side of the room, as far 
as possible from Brichet’s bedroom. Pauline looked 


196 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


at him with surprise, but there was so much grave and 
tender supplication in the eyes that met hers, that re- 
sistance was impossible. 

“ Mademoiselle, can you trust me ?” asked Maurice. 

“ Oh, yes, perfectly !” replied Pauline, earnestly. 

“ And will you promise to answer my questions, 
however strange they may appear ?” 

“ Certainly,” she said, her heart beating in sweet 
dread of what she believed Maurice was about to say, 
but she was mistaken, for, to her intense surprise, he 
continued : 

“ Do you love your father ?” 

Imagining that Maurice was preparing her for evil 
things, shei stammered, pale with terror : 

“ My father is dead ! I am sure of it ! You were 
unable to save him and you feared to tell me !” 

“ No, Pauline, you are mistaken. If such a misfor- 
tune had happened I would not have had the cruelty 
to deceive you, and again, I repeat, your father is out 
of danger.” 

“ But then why did you ask me that ?” said Mile. 
Brichet. 

“ In asking you to answer my questions I was care- 
ful to add : ‘ however strange they may appear,’ ” re- 
marked Maurice. 

“ Of course I love my father,” said Pauline ; but she 
spoke with hesitation and as if speaking a lesson, and 
the doctor, looking at her steadily, detected the hesi- 
tation and read her thoughts. 

“ Yes,” he said, “ I am sure you are speaking truth- 
fully, “ but let us try together to find out why your 
answer was given so mechanically and with so little 
warmth.” 

“Ah, you know what I am thinking, then !” cried 
Pauline, much distressed. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


197 


“ I read it in those sweet, clear eyes that can hide 
nothing-. Yes, you love your father conscientiously, I 
know, but since his return you. find him changed in a 
way you cannot account for, do you not ?” 

Pauline sat still, gazing at Maurice in frightened 
amazement. 

“ Yes, that is true,” she murmured. 

“Your feelings have changed toward him?” asked 
Maurice emphatically. 

“Yes, and I am always telling myself that I am a 
wicked, ungrateful girl.” 

“ Monsieur Brichet is always kind to you, is he not ?” 

“ Oh, yes, he is just as good and kind as ever, but I 
don’t know — there is something different even in the 
way he caresses me. When he passes his hand over 
my curls as he used to long ago, his hand seems so 
heavy, and when he kisses me — oh, I can’t tell how it 
is, but he makes me shudder, and although his eyes 
are just the same, they seem to look at me in a strange 
way,” and poor Pauline burst into tears. “ Oh,” she 
sobbed, “ I am a wicked, unnatural girl, and repay all 
my father’s fondness only with ingratitude.” But all 
at once recovering her composure, she turned to 
Maurice and asked him suddenly : “ But you, Maurice, 
why should you seek to draw from me this secret 
which I wished to keep buried in my own heart ?” 

Maurice shook his head sadly. 

“ Ah,” he replied, “ all I can tell you is this — that if 
I have asked you these painful questions, it is because 
I fear some misfortune threatens this house.” 

“ A misfortune, do you say? But where could it 
come from ? Whom could it threaten ?” 

Maurice was about to reply when a valet entered 
hastily. 

“ Mademoiselle,” he said, “ Monsieur Brichet is ask- 


198 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


ing for you. He says that a kiss from mademoiselle 
will do him more good than any doctor.” 

“ Dear father,” sighed Pauline, deeply touched by 
this proof of Brichet’s tenderness, coming as it did at 
the very moment she was accusing herself of loving 
him less warmly ; and ashamed of having allowed 
Maurice to guess her secret, she fled toward her father’s 
bedroom and disappeared from his sight. 

“ Now for t’ other one,” said the lackey, coolly, pro- 
ceeding toward the garden. 

“ You are going to call Madame Brichet also ?” asked 
the doctor, as he followed the man out on his way 
home. 

“Yes, sir ; my master said he wished to see around 
his bed all those he loves,” replied the valet. 

At this apparent proof of Brichet’s affection for the 
two girls, Maurice paused, sorely troubled. 

“ What can I do ?” he thought ; and after some sec- 
onds of deep reflection he walked slowly to his own 
house. 

From the window of Brichet’s bedroom, M. de 
Badieres had watched the arrival of Mme. Brichet, as 
the servant preceded her to the hotel. The judge went 
to meet her, and said, as they entered the bedroom : 

“Good news ! We shall succeed in saving Raoul !” 

On hearing this, poor Aurore, who seemed to drag 
her weary limbs with difficulty, was suddenly inspired 
with new life, a great joy lighting up her beautiful 
eyes, as she thanked the magistrate with a look. 

“ Yes,” he continued, “ we shall save him, but all 
must be over between you and M. de Cambriac. You 
will swear it, for the honor and peace of him who lies 
there ?” pointing toward Brichet’s bedroom. 

“ I am, and I always shall be, an honest woman !” re- 
plied Aurore, proudly entering her husband’s room, 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


199 


Rejoiced over his recovery, and chattering like a 
magpie, Brichet passed many happy hours, petted by 
his friends and caressed by his wife and daughter, 
and, full of repentance, made liberal promises of re- 
form, and vowed he would drink no more. 

“ Yes, I dare say,” thought Annibal. 

“ When the devil was sick, the devil a monk would be ; 

When the devil got well, the devil a monk was he.” 

For the captain knew full well the worth of a drunk- 
ard’s promise. In the midst of the general contentment, 
the door opened, and Colard appeared, after six hours’ 
repose. On seeing him, a slight grimace passed 
rapidly over Brichet’s features, but recovering himself, 
he cried affectionately : 

“ Ah, my good Colard, is that you ? Have you had a 
good sleep ? You might have rested two or three hours 
more, for the time has passed very happily here. But 
why don’t you come in, my good friend ?” continued 
the prociirciir , seeing that the major-domo remained 
in the doorway. 

“ I have only come to take your orders as to a vis- 
itor who is here.” 

“ If it is a friend with whom I need not be on cere- 
mony, bring him in here,” answered Brichet. 

But Colard shook his head, and replied : 

“ No, sir ; it is a lady, who has come in a splendid 
carriage.” 

“ Every one looked surprised, lady visitors at the 
hotel being rare and generally announced by Colard 
without any preliminaries. 

“ A lady !” cried Brichet. “ Did she give her name ?” 

“Yes, the Marquise de Brageron.” 

“ Oh, ho ! Some game of Master de Lozeril,” thought 


200 


MYSTERY of hotel brichet. 


Annibal, on the qui vive i and Aurore, who also knew 
the name, trembled. 

“ Marquise de Brageron,” repeated Brichet, seeking 
to recall some clue to the lady’s antecedents. 

“ She says you do not know her, sir, but she has an 
important request to make to you.” 

“ Mme. de Brageron is one of the greatest ladies of 
the court,” said M. de Badieres to Brichet. 

“And one of the richest,” remarked the notary. 

“And one of the wickedest,” added Annibal, to him- 
self. 

Brichet turned toward his wife, saying : 

“ Well, Aurore, you are mistress of this house, and 
you must go and receive this lady. Make my excuses 
and tell her that only my illness prevents my waiting 
on her to know her commands.” 

Despite the terrible emotion that overcame her, by 
heroic efforts Aurore staggered to her feet, and, 
struggling with the sharp agony that gnawed her 
heart, left the room. 



CHAPTER XIX. 


Mme. de Brageron was standing at one o£ the win- 
dows overlooking the flower-garden. On seeing 
Aurore enter the salon and having expected to meet 
M. Brichet, the marquise could scarcely conceal her 
surprise. The young women reviewed each other in 
one rapid glance. 

“ She is dying of grief,” thought the marquise, see- 
ing the ravages in her rival’s beauty since the day 
of the trial. 

“ This woman detests me,” thought Aurore, noting 
the look of gratified malice in her visitor’s face. 

After exchanging a cold and formal bow, Aurore, 
trying in vain to steady her voice, opened the inter- 
view by saying : 

“ My husband is ill at present, and has begged me 
express to madame his sorrow at being unable to re- 
ceive her. He has asked me to be his deputy, and to 
learn from you the nature of your business.” 

The marquise listened, gazing at Aurore with her 
cruel gray eyes : 

“ You may rest assured, madame, that whatever you 

[201] 


202 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


may have the goodness to confide to me will be faith- 
fully transmitted to M. Brichet,” Aurore continued, 
feigning not to observe the hostile inclination and 
curt mode of her visitor. 

The marquise had laid all her plans on the certainty 
of an interview with Brichet, and the appearance of 
his wife in his stead had somewhat upset her calcula- 
tions, but, resolving to risk the consequences, she an- 
nounced boldly : 

“ I am commissioned by one of my friends to ask for 
the hand of Mile. Pauline Brichet.” 

Aurore, as we have said, was too truly amiable to 
harbor any unfriendly feelings toward Pauline, but 
her position in the Hotel Brichet, where Pauline had 
formerly reigned supreme, and the necessity of sharing 
with Pauline authority over the household, made it 
extremely desirable that Pauline should be happily 
married, leaving Aurore in undisturbed possession of 
her rights. It was, therefore, almost with pleasure 
that she asked, in answer to Madame de Brageron’s 
demand : 

“ Are you authorized, madame, to reveal the name 
of the person who has chosen you as his representa- 
tive ?” 

“ It is the Chevalier de Lozeril,” pronounced the 
marquise, slowly and distinctly, noting with watchful 
eyes the effect of her words. 

On hearing the hateful name, every sentiment of 
honor and loyalty revolted within Aurore, and she 
exclaimed, unable to conceal her aversion : 

“ What ! That man ?" 

Mme. Brichet’s openly expressed contempt for the 
marquise's quondam lover did not tend to smooth that 
lady’s ruffled plumes, but ignoring the insult, she re- 
torted ; 


MVSTtfRV of hotel brichet. 


203 


“ And may I ask, madame, what there is about 
Monsieur de Lozeril that the very mention of his name 
should cause 3^ou to express so much antipathy ?” 

Aurore raised her lovely eyes and looked steadily in 
the face of the marquise without answering. Her 
silence was another insult to Mine, de Brageron, who, 
pale with anger, continued, in a tone of suppressed 
rage : 

“ I have the honor of awaiting your reply.” 

“ And if I hesitate to answer you, madame, it is that 
I am at a loss to imagine why you should think 
Mademoiselle Pauline Brichet had fallen so low as to 
accept for her husband the miserable wretch of whom 
you speak.” 

The marquise, with ill-concealed fury, answered : 

“ Is it not a sufficient refutation of all calumnies that 
I lend my name to the support of Monsieur de Loze- 
ril’s demand ?” 

The repulsion Aurore felt for the woman’s effrontery 
caused her to forget all prudence, and she replied 
scornfully : 

“ Indeed ! If Monsieur de Lozeril has been cal- 
umniated, he will not be much the better for being 
justified by you !” 

“ What do you mean ?” hissed out the marquise, 
madly irritated by this taunt. 

Besides possessing a brave and loyal heart, Aurore 
knew that, in fighting Pauline’s battles, she was de- 
fending a just cause, so nerving herself for the con- 
flict, she replied bravely : 

“ I mean to say that Pauline is not so utterly 
abandoned by Providence that she should be obliged 
to accept for her husband the lover of a woman whom 
he has abandoned in disgust !” 

Mme. de Brageron sprang to her feet, and advanc- 


m 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


ing close to Aurore cried, in a voice hoarse with pas- 
sion : 

“ Oh, indeed, my beauty ! But it seems in this house 
the cast-off admirers of other women have not always 
been despised — ” 

But in the midst of her wild harangue the marquise 
Stopped suddenly. The interruption was caused by 
the appearance of Annibal, who now advanced, and 
saluting the ladies, cried : 

“ Hush, hush ! You will disturb the invalid. Your 
conversation must have been wonderfully interesting 
to make you forget your proximity to the sick-room. 
Am I indiscreet in asking permission to join you ?” 
and so saying the captain drew forward an arm-chair 
and ensconced himself therein. 

Annibal had been extremely anxious when Aurore 
left the room, and dreading the result of her interview 
with Mme. de Brageron, the noble warrior had judged 
it expedient to listen at the door, and matters speedily 
reaching a climax, he had thought it high time to in- 
terfere. 

“ There,” he said, sitting down. “ F irst, dear marquise, 
tell me how you have been all this long time. Dear 
me, what a long time it is ! Not since poor De Brage- 
ron died. A jolly fellow he was ! That is, except 
when he began to talk about you, for then the tears 
would come into his eyes, and he would curse the luck 
that had given him such a termagant of a wife ! Oh, 
many a time he would cry bitterly — poor fellow — 
though he always ended with a roar of laughter, 
when I would say : ‘ I tell you what, De Brageron, if 
I had a wife like yours, I would take her very deli- 
cately by the neck and just give it one little twist to 
try whether a purple tint was becoming to her style of 
beauty,’ ” and Annibal, though he smiled and seemed 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL P.RICHET. 


205 


delightfully good-natured, accompanied his reminis- 
cences with a sinister movement of his fingers so ex- 
tremely like throttling that the marquise could not 
repress a shudder, as if she felt the giant’s massive 
hand already on her slender throat. “ Not that I am 
cruel to ladies,” continued Annibal, “ far from it. I 
love them. Ah, that is just my weakness ! But I be- 
come a little dangerous when I find the pretty 
creatures plotting against me or against mine.” 

There was no mistaking the manner in which the 
captain pronounced these last three words. The mar- 
quise, understanding the hint, said to herself : 

“ I defy the brute !” 

Annibal proceeded : 

“ But I am chattering like a magpie about the good 
times that are past and forgetting the present. Come, 
tell me what you were discussing with so much anima- 
tion, for I can assure you, you were animated, especially 
the marquise, who seemed to be personating some 
one in a rage.” 

Mme. de Brageron was no coward, and disregarding 
the covert menaces of Annibal, she replied at once : 

“ I came here in the name of Monsieur de Lozeril 
to ask for the hand of Mademoiselle Pauline Brichet.” 

Annibal laughed aloud as he remarked : 

“ Well, to be sure, how one misjudges people ! I 
always thought De Lozeril an unmitigated blackguard, 
but I never before thought him an utter idiot.” 

The marquise stared at the captain in amazement. 

“Yes, an idiot,” he continued calmly. “What! 
He — a gambler, a cutthroat, a dissipated ruffian, I 
might even say a swindler, comes here actually to 
court a refusal ! Yes, he did well to charge you with 
his beautiful commission, for if he had come himself 
Brichet would have kicked him out of the door, having 


206 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRlCHEl’.' 


always adhered firmly to his intention of giving his 
daughter to an honest man !” and turning toward 
Aurore, Annibal continued in a tone of amiable reproof : 
“ How is it, little girl, that you failed to convince the 
marquise how uselessly she has troubled herself on 
account of that blackguard ? You ought to have made 
her understand adroitly and without wounding her 
susceptibilities, you know. Just as I have done.” 

Mine, de Brageron understood perfectly well the 
sarcasms of the captain, though she pretended to 
ignore his meaning and answered quietly : 

“ Madame Brichet is of quite the same opinion as 
you !” 

“ And you still persist in your demand ?” 

“Yes, and I wish it to be carried to Monsieur 
Brichet.” 

Then in his most courtly manner Annibal re- 
plied : 

“ Very good. Stay here in the salon and you shall 
have the satisfaction of hearing an honest man’s 
refusal of the scoundrel you propose to him for a son- 
in-law, only I must beg you to excuse my returning 
and accompanying you down-stairs. Now listen and 
you will not lose a word.” 

So saying the captain offered his arm to his daughter, 
and they left the salon and passed into Brichet’s bed- 
room, leaving the door open between the rooms. The 
marquise heard the voice of Brichet inquiring : 

“ Well, what did Madame de Brageron want ?” 

The captain, prefacing his reply with one of his 
great roars of laughter, exclaimed : 

“ On, an excellent joke ! She actually came to ask 
the hand of Pauline for a good-for-nothing friend of 
hers named De Lozeril.” 

“ Lozeril ? Lozeril ?” replied Brichet. “ Isn’t that 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


207 


\ 

the name of the young man who declared he had seen 
me half murdered ?” 

“ Just so.” 

A silence ensued, and then, as if on reflection, 
Brichet continued : 

“ And what did you say ?” 

“ That she had doubtless mistaken the house,” 
answered Annibal, airily. 

“ You did wrong, my friend, and I shall write to the 
marquise and ask her to do me the honor of introduc- 
ing her pfotegt.” 

“ Are you mad, Brichet ?” cried M. de Badieres, 
sternly. “ The captain is quite right. This Lozeril is 
an utter scamp !” 

“ An unmitigated scoundrel,” added the notary. 

“Oh, I dare say!” said Brichet, indulgently ; “but 
you know these rakish fellows always make the best 
husbands.” 

Impossible to describe the general stupefaction at 
hearing Brichet thus express himself. This man, so 
upright, so moral, so rigid in his principles, a most 
devoted father and a shrewd man of business, an- 
nouncing his intention of trusting his daughter, and 
with her a portion of his immense fortune, to a man 
sunk in depravity, seemed so monstrous that the judge 
and the notary could not believe their senses. They 
returned to the charge, but without in any degree 
moving Brichet, who replied, laughing : 

“ Let me alone, all of you. I see what you are after. 
Each of you would like me to give my daughter to a 
man of your choosing. You, De Badieres, would have 
her married to one of your*brother judges, as grave 
and rigid as Justice herself ; and you, Blaudoin, would 
have me give her to some young notary, a wretched 
book-worm, feeding on nasty old law papers — yes, I 


208 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


know the sort ! I ’ve lived among them long enough, 
dull as their books. I want a change now ! It is time 
this old hotel brightened up a bit with life and gayety, 
and a son-in-law who knows how to amuse himself 
would know how to amuse me !” 

“ M. de Lozeril has done worse things than amusing 
himself,” remarked the judge, dryly. 

“ Oh, I dare say ! Some follies of youth that seem 
dreadful enormities to you sober men of the law !” 

“ But he is over head and ears in debt,” cried the 
notary, aghast. 

“ Well, we can. pay his debts.” 

“ And an incorrigible gambler, who will scatter your 
fortune on the table of every gaming-house in the 
town !” 

“ All right, that is my affair,” retorted the procureur , 
and he added, sharply : “ And, after all, I would just 
as soon see my fortune squandered on the gaming- 
table as to have it locked up in a notary’s office so 
preciously tight that I can’t get a few crowns after 
asking twenty times.” 

The poor notary was deeply wounded by this speech 
of Brichet’s, his motive for having refused him the 
three millions demanded having been one of disin- 
terested friendship, believing as he did that the pro- 
cureur required the money to defray the expenses of 
another wild fit of roaming ; but Brichet’s taunt making 
further hesitation impossible, he answered very curtly: 

“Very good, Brichet, to-morrow I shall bring you 
the three millions.” 

At these words the very slightest suspicion of a 
smile hovered for a moment on Brichet’s lips and in- 
voluntarily his eyes sought Colard, who was sitting in 
a distant corner, listening. Of all the witnesses of this 
scene, none was so petrified with amazement as the 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL P.RICHET. 


209 


captain, who had anticipated with certainty the pro - 
cureur's disdainful refusal of De Lozeril, and the con- 
sequent humiliation of Mme. de Brageron ; but here 
was Brichet accepting with the greatest eagerness, 
this wretched De Lozeril, of whom he knew nothing, save 
that the man was a scoundrel of the worst description. 
But another thought recalled the captain to himself. 

“ Three millions ! Ah, if Brichet were only a 
gambler, what a pretty lump of that nugget I might 
get !” 

And with his regrets, the ^captain sadly reflected 
that he should have but small chance of even being 
alone with the procurcur when once De Lozeril should 
arrive. This reminded him that the marquise, whom 
he had totally forgotten in his stupefaction of Brichet’s 
behavior, was still listening in the salon. 

“By Jove!” he thought. “If this cursed woman 
has heard them speaking of three millions, she ’ll be 
off to Master de Lozeril with the news !” 

And glidingby degrees toward the bedroom door, the 
captain slipped out and found himself in the salon. The 
marquise was still there ; she had heard all, and the 
mocking smile of triumph with which she greeted 
Annibal raised his anger to a white heat, twenty times 
more terrible than the most violent outburst would 
have been. Bending down toward her until his face 
almost touched hers, and laying his heavy hand on her 
shoulder, he hissed fiercely in her ear : 

“ Look here, woman ; if you persist in your project 
of bringing De Lozeril here, I ’ll crush you both under 
my heel like the two worms that you are.” 

The marquise looked steadily in her enemy’s face 
and smiled triumphantly ; then somewhat raising her 
voice, said, in clear and ringing accents : 

“ Thanks, my dear captain, but don’t trouble your- 


210 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET, 


self to repeat the satisfactory answer I have heard 
from Monsieur Brichet’s own lips. Thank him for me, 
convey to him my sincere regrets at his illness, and tell 
him that Monsieur de Lozeril will call upon him to- 
morrow to express for himself his deepest grati- 
tude/’ 

This said, she went her way, leaving the captain 
dumfounded at such audacity. 

The judge and tlje notary both hurried into the salon, 
but the lady had disappeared. 

“ Why couldn’t you have told us the marquise was 
here ?” asked the notary, reproachfully, who feared to 
offend so rich a client by his candid judgment of her 
protege. 

“ Yes, I was wrong, I admit,” replied Annibal. “ But, 
really, I was so floored by Brichet’s crazy behavior, 
that I forgot all about her.” 

On returning to the sick-room, the three gentlemen 
encountered Pauline leaving it, followed by Colard. 
The poor girl was much agitated, and weeping bitterly. 
Never having seen De Lozeril, excepting on the day 
of his now famous recital, she was at first simply sur- 
prised at his demanding her hand, then on her 
father so readily giving his consent, and the consequent 
indignation of his two old friends and their efforts to 
battle with his fatal obstinacy, she had divined that 
it was a question entailing the happiness of her whole 
future life, and she felt the utmost terror and misery 
at her father’s willingness to hand her over to such a 
scoundrel. In the midst of her distress the thought of 
Maurice came to her, calling forth a flood of tears, and 
an immense sorrow filled her heart, hitherto so per- 
fectly free from care. Instinctively in the hour of 
peril the poor girl turned toward her faithful Colard, 
who now, indeed, seemed her only friend. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL LRTCItEf. $11 

u I am frightened ; take me away, dear old Colard,” 
she murmured in a broken voice. 

The old servant had witnessed the strange scene 
with emotion too deep for words. On listening to the 
pfocnreur's extraordinary sentiments Colard slowly 
rose from his seat and stood there in the corner, an 
image of silent wrath, his teeth set, his hands clenched 
and darting the most terrible looks of menace toward 
his master, who studiously avoided meeting his indig- 
nant eyes. At the plaintive appeal of his beloved 
mistress the old man trembled with agitation, and as 
if to protect the poor child, who seemed to cling to 
him, inclosed her in his sheltering arms, while there 
broke from his faithful breast a hoarse cry, so full of 
fury and angry menace, that Brichet, though pretend- 
ing to ignore Colard’s demonstration, became deadly 
pale. 

In great haste he ordered Colard to go. 

“Yes, let us go !” growled the latter, almost carry- 
ing Pauline toward the door, and he conducted his 
young mistress to her room and there for an hour 
poured forth all the affection of his devoted heart in 
trying to console her. 

“ No, no, my beloved mistress,” he said, “ this cursed 
marriage shall never be. Trust poor old Colard,” he' 
repeated again and again, with an energy and assur- 
ance that belied his streaming eyes. 

In the midst of her despair a thought came to Paul- 
ine’s mind, and she sobbed out : 

Monsieur Maurice was right. Only two hours 
ago he told me some misfortune threatened this 
house.” 

At the doctor’s name the attendant dried his eyes, 
and smiling, murmured : 

“ Ah, I had forgotten him ! That good, dear 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


212 


Maurice ! I must go and speak to him !” So saying 
he descended the stairs, and while crossing the garden 
reflected : “ These two young people love each other ; 
here is -the marriage that would insure Pauline’s hap- 
piness, and this marriage shall be, despite all the De 
Lozerils in the world. I will have it and it shall 
be /” 

The doctor’s old servant opened the door. 

“ I must speak to Monsieur Gardi,” said Colard, 
entering. 

“ He is out,” replied the woman. 

“ Then I shall wait until he comes in. Has he gone 
to see a patient ?” 

“ I doubt it, M. Colard ; for my master, on coming 
from the Hotel Brichet, packed a little valise in great 
haste, borrowed a neighbor’s horse and went off , telling 
me he would not be back to-night.” 

“ And you don’t know where he has gone.” 

“ No ; but he seemed very grave and absent.’ 

Colard slowly retraced his footsteps, wondering 
where the doctor could have gone. 

“ I suppose he has gone to the country to visit some 
important patient,” he continued. 

On reaching the grand entrance he met the judge 
and the notary, who had taken leave of Brichet, find- 
ing all their efforts to reason him out of his extra- 
ordinary whim were vain. 

“ Perhaps we are making too much of it, and by to- 
morrow he will probably have given up all thoughts 
of this scandalous marriage,” said M. de Badieres to the 
notary. 

To these two faithful friends of the house Colard 
felt himself at liberty to speak, and he sadly re- 
marked : 

“No, sir, don’t think of it. To-morrow my 


MYSTERY OE HOTEL BRICHET. 


213 


master will not have renounced his disgraceful 
scheme.” 

“ But what can be his motive in persisting in such 
insanity ?” cried the notary. 

The old servant looked steadily at M. de Badieres, 
and, compressing his lips, significantly tapped his fore- 
head with his forefinger : 

“ I very much fear that the fit of apoplexy has af- 
fected his brain.” 

“ Good God !” cried the two friends in a breath. “Do 
you think he is going mad ?” 

“Alas !” answered Colard, sadly. 

“ No, no. I don’t think it is so bad as that, and I 
believe to-morrow we shall hear no more of this mar- 
riage,” said the judge, repudiating the idea of Brichet’s 
insanity. 

But the morrow proved that Colard was right, for 
De Lozeril received the freedom of the Hotel Brichet 
and became, with Annibal, the inseparable companion 
of the procureur , so that the good attendant could 
scarcely get a word with his master. At the same 
time, the news of Brichet’s illness, coupled with that 
of the extraordinary marriage in contemplation for 
Pauline, brought a host of curious visitors to the hotel. 
With the greater number, all friends of some twenty 
years’ standing, Brichet made such egregious blunders, 
and showed such terrible lapses of memory and con- 
fusion of dates, names and events even of recent times, 
that each one on leaving the hotel could not but re- 
mark : 

“ Brichet is certainly demented since his fit !” 

On the third day the procureur , having left his bed, 
tore himself for a moment from the society of Annibal 
and De Lozeril, and going straight to Colard, who was 
engaged about the room, he whispered quickly ; 


mystery oe HOTEL bRICHEY. 


214 


“ Do you intend to .eave me much longer to pass foY 
a lunatic ?” 

“ Do what I have asked you in vain at least twenty 
times and then you may count on 'me !” 

“ Never !” replied Brichet. “ It is my only security.” 

“ I will make you do it some time, by hook or by 
crook,” responded Colard, calmly, “ by fair means or 
foul.” 






CHAPTER XX. 

The report of Brichet’s insanity spread with amaz- 
ing rapidity, and what gave it the strongest coloring 
of truth was his very eccentric conduct with regard to 
the projected marriage. After having accepted the 
chevalier’s proposal with such ready eagerness, he 
seemed suddenly to forget all about it, and excepting 
that De Lozeril was now initiated as an inmate of the 
hotel, no one now but the chevalier himself gave the 
marriage one serious thought. His efforts having been 
so far crowned with the most unlooked-for success, 
De Lozeril naturally imagined that all he now had to 
do was to “ go in and win,” and he saw the millions of 
Pauline’s dot already within his grasp ; but events 
were taking so strange a turn that he presently, began 
to ask himself whether he was not the victim of some 
conspiracy, or whether in truth Brichet was really 
mad. 

When De Lozeril first presented himself at the 
hotel, the procureur received him most warmly and 
insisted on installing him in a magnificent chamber, 
himself seeing to every detail for his guest’s comfort, 
but since then not one word had he breathed as to the 
projected marriage, and each time De Lozeril at- 

[215] 


216 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


tempted to broach the subject, Brichet would say with 
a shrug : 

“ You seem to be in a great hurry to put the cord 
round your neck.” 

“ No, no, but I should like to have some time fixed.” 

“ My time shall be yours, my dear fellow — when you 
have agreed on it with Pauline. Try then to have her 
hasten the day. I am as anxious for it as you,” replied 
the procureur. 

But this was more easily said than done. Pauline 
obstinately refused to leave her apartments, and all 
the efforts of the chevalier to pay her a visit were met 
by the same response : 

“ Mademoiselle does not receive.” 

De Lozeril thought it high time to complain to 
Brichet of his fiancee for thus remaining invisible, but 
her father answered quietly : 

“ Oh, give her time to reconcile herself to the charm- 
ing idea of being your wife ; she is a little timid, but 
she will come round.” 

But at the end of a fortnight Pauline was as obdurate 
as ever, and De Lozeril, furious, exclaimed : 

“ It seems as if every one was in league to make 
a fool of me in this house.” 

For even Annibal himself had failed to support him, 
telling him very plainly on his arrival in the hotel : 

“ My good De Lozeril, you have got yourself in here 
quite against my wish and contrary to my interest. So 
long as it is merely a question of eating and drinking, 
and amusing yourself at Brichet’s expense, I shall say 
nothing ; but as your projected marriage would en- 
croach on a considerable corner of the cake that I 
desire to keep for my daughter, I warn you that if you 
think of taking the thing seriously I shall cure you 
radically of your matrimonial ideas.”' And the captain 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


21 


had repeated, emphasizing every syllable, “ ra-di-cal-ly, 
do you understand ? With this proviso, you and I can 
live as comfortably here as two mice in a cheese.” 

In addition to the wish not to appear intimidated by 
Annibal’s threat, the chevalier had another cogent 
reason for remaining in the hotel. For on the morn- 
ing following his arrival he had seen the notary enter- 
ing Brichet’sroom, carrying a huge pocket-book, which, 
seemed bursting with money. Heavenly visions daz- 
zled the brain of the rapacious wooer. Yes, it was, it 
must be, the precious millions of his lady-love ! The 
millions of whose advent the marquise had apprised 
him. But, unfortunately, he was not the only one in 
the hotel who had watched and waited for the golden 
cargo, for Annibal, too, had been on guard in the ves- 
tibule, and now lay in wait in the street to buttonhole 
the notary on his departure. 

“ Ah ! Is that you, M. Bandinau ?” cried the ingenu- 
ous warrior, joining the notary as if by accident. 
“ Have you been to see Brichet ?” 

“Yes. I have just left the hotel.” 

“ I trust you have not had the imprudence to fulfill 
the rash promise you made yesterday !” 

“ Excuse, me, captain, but I have just given the 
money into his hand.” 

Annibal affected the deepest despair, as he cried, 
sadly : 

“ What, unhappy man ! Have you actually com- 
mitted the folly of confiding such a sum of money to a 
lunatic ?” 

“ Brichet seemed yesterday to doubt my honesty, 
and for nothing in existence would I allow my good 
name to remain under such a stigma,” returned the 
notary, peremptorily. 

“‘But, my too susceptible friend, you know Brichet 


218 mystery oe hotel brichet. 

is an irascible person, who speaks without reflection, 
and I am certain he must have forgotten to-day all he 
said yesterday,” replied the crafty Annibal. 

“ Ah, you think that, do you ?” returned the notary, 
dryly. “ Well, my dear captain, allow me to tell you 
that your son-in-law, far from forgetting his insult of 
yesterday, repeated it to-day in so offensive a manner 
that I have no alternative but to wash my hands of his 
affairs altogether. I am now returning to my office as 
quickly as possible to realize af once the rest of his 
fortune. In two days,” cried M. Bandinau, with great 
wrath, “ he will have it all in his own possession.” 

“ What, all ?” cried Annibal, aghast. 

“Yes, his seven millions.” 

“ But what do you think he will do with it, cracked 
as he is ?” 

“ Do with it ? Whatever he likes. Make ducks and 
drakes of it, what do I care ! Or he can hand it over 
to the first swindler he meets, as all the bonds are to be 
made ‘ payable to bearer,’ so that they can be trans- 
ferred from hand to hand like hard cash, without any 
formality !” said the angry lawyer. 

“Good heavens!” exclaimed the giant, seriously 
troubled, thinking how easily the greedy De Lozeril 
might now help himself to the spoil ; and, leaving the 
notary, Annibal returned hastily to the hotel. His re- 
flections kept pace with his rapid progress, and won- 
dering to himself how Brichet could be such a fool as 
to sleep with seven millions under his pillow, a thought 
suddenly flashed across him. 

“ I see it all !” he cried. “ It is not Brichet who is 
the idiot, it is De Lozeril and I who are a couple of 
asses ! It is evident that Brichet has concocted this 
scheme of Pauline’s pretended marriage to put us off 
the scent ; he is raising this money under the plea of 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


219 


its being 1 for her dot , and some fine morning my gen- 
tleman will give us all the slip, leaving us here beg- 
gars — wife, daughter, father-in-law and son-in-law.” 
And the captain, certain that he had discovered the 
secret, hastened on, saying : “ I must look after the 
booty.” 

On arriving at the hotel, he found Brichet endeavor- 
ing to pacify De Lozeril, who was much provoked at 
the indefinite prospect of his marriage. 

“ But why should you complain, chevalier ?” reasoned 
the procureur. “ Are you not comfortable and happy 
in my house ? Pauline will probably make up her mind 
before long, and now it only depends upon her ; you 
see there is the dot all ready !” 

“ Cunning old thief ? I see your game !” thought 
the captain, who entered just in time to hear these 
words. 

During the ensuing fifteen days, Brichet’s mode of 
living completely changed. Not a step did he take, in 
the house or out of it, without finding the captain and 
the chevalier at his heels, and far from being dis- 
pleased at this surveillance, the procureur seemed de- 
lighted. On the morning of the sixteenth day, how- 
ever, De Lozeril was not at his post. He had gone to 
consult his ally, Mme. de BrageVon, whom he had not 
seen since she had called on him at the doctor’s 
house and brought him Brichet’s acceptance of his 
suit. 

The marquise awaited the marriage as impatiently 
as De Lozeril, knowing that by this means the doors of 
the hotel would henceforth be open to her. 

“ Well, are you to be married at last ?” she asked, 
rather crossly. 

The young man shook his head despondently, and 
replied ; 


220 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ Marquise, I really believe that you and I have been 
the victims of some deception.” 

And he told her all that had passed during- the last 
fortnight : the obstinate refusal of Paiiline to see him, 
Brichet’s adherence to his role of neutrality and seem- 
ing unwillingness to assert his parental authority. The 
chevalier ended his recital by saying : 

“ From the easy manner in which I was accepted, I 
should have known there was something in the wind ; 
and now I believe I have been taken into the house to 
play another part instead of son-in-law.” 

“ What part ?” asked the lady. 

“ A body-guard.” 

Mine, de Brageron stared at him in amazement. 

“Yes, I mean what I say — a body-guard. I don’t 
know what the mischief the old fellow is afraid of, but 
the very day after I arrived he takes me up in a corner 
and says to me : ‘ Whatever you do, for God’s sake don’t 
leave me alone with Fouquier and Colard.’ ” 

The marquise reflected. 

“ Doubtless he wishes to spare himself the impor- 
tunities of two men who are hostile to your marriage,” 
she said. 

“ Yes, marquise, that ’s what I thought at first, but 
yesterday, when in the garden, I overheard Brichet 
saying to the captain : ‘ Above all things never leave 
me alone with Colard and De Lozeril !’ and then I 
saw why it was that whenever I was with the procureur 
Annibal was certain to be at my heels, for the same 
order had been given to both of us. Now, what danger 
does he possibly fear from either the one or the 
other ?” 

“ You are mistaken,” replied the marquise, who had 
listened with care. “ It is neither of you he fears — it 
is Colard. Why, I do not know, but that you must 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


221 


find out. The old procureur has adroitly deceived you 
both, making you two act as his body-guard in order 
to protect himself from Colard, for you see his name 
is repeated in each separate injunction.” 

“ What should I do ?” asked De Lozeril. 

“ Try and get round Colard ; worm out of him the 
Secret of Brichet’s fear of him and then turn it to 
your own account,” and she dismissed the young man. 

De Lozeril wended his way slowly back to the hotel, 
reflecting deeply on the secret of Colard’s great influ- 
ence over Brichet and his money. The one absorbing 
thought of this needy adventurer was Pauline’s mil- 
lions. At times, irritated by the apparent futility of 
his project, he felt inclined to renounce his preten- 
sions. Then Brichet would spur him on to renewed 
activity. And now the marquise added her adju- 
ration. 

By the time the chevalier reached the hotel he had 
conceived a new plan. He went straightway to Paul- 
ine’s apartments, assured the dqor would be opened by 
Colard. He was right. The attendant appeared and 
gave him the invariable answer : 

“ Mademoiselle does not receive.” 

“ The good news I bring should induce mademoiselle 
to change her mind,” remonstrated De Lozeril, count- 
ing on at least being asked what this news might be ; 
but the old man remained silent, and bowing, was 
about to shut the door, when De Lozeril, laying his 
hand on Colard’s arm, said quickly : “ Are you not 
curious, my good man ?” 

“My duty is to restrain my curiosity,” was the 
reply. 

“ Very well, Colard, as I am not to see your mistress, 
I beg you to carry her my farewell, and to say that I 
renounce all pretensions to her hand.” 


222 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ Mademoiselle will be very happy,” said Colard, 
with more truth than politeness. 

“ Upon my word,” said De Lozeril, smiling, “ you 
are not very flattering. You could scarcely say in 
plainer words that Mademoiselle detests me.” 

The attendant shook his head. 

“ No, no, sir,” he said. “ I don’t mean that ; but if 
my mistress has so often declined seeing you, it has 
been in your interest.” 

“ Indeed !” cried Lozeril, mystified by this reply. 

“ I assure you that mademoiselle has thus acted, 
fearing lest you might a second time be the victim of 
a violent attack, like the one from which you escaped. 
Mademoiselle Pauline has the greatest terror of the 
captain, sir.” 

“ Oh, bless you ! Annibal is not quite so alarming 
as all that !” said the chevalier, disdainfully. 

“ Mademoiselle would rather see herself despoiled 
of every crown her father possesses than that any one 
should be exposed to the violence of that ruffian, who 
is determined to secure for himself my poor master’s 
fortune.” 

“ Yes, that is true. Annibal came to me full of 
threats, declaring he would defend this fortune against 
all comers.” 

“ Then, you see, sir, that my young lady is right in 
trembling for your safety,” answered Colard, adding, 
with a great sigh of contentment : “ Happily, she will 
now have no further apprehension, as you have pru- 
dently resolved to retire.” 

The allusion to his “ prudence ” wounded the young 
man’s susceptibilities. Besides, he had never had the 
slightest intention of retiring from the field, and had 
merely announced his departure to Colard with a view 
to securing some information for his future guidance. 


mystery of hotel p.richet. 223 

He therefore announced his intention to remain, in 
the hope of being of some use to Mile. Pauline. A faint 
smile flickered on Colard’s face, but it vanished before 
De Lozeril saw it. 

“ Ah, sir,” he replied, in a grief-stricken voice, “ my 
good master, since his illness, has completely lost his 
head ; he has no memory whatever, and makes the 
most lamentable mistakes. The captain has absolute 
control over him, and sets him against every one ; 
you, sir, and me — me, his own old Colard ! He makes 
him do just what he likes, and some fine day he will 
put out his big hand and grab everything — ” 

“ Beginning with the three millions for the dot that 
Brichet now carries about with him in a pocket-book,” 
interrupted De Lozeril, hastily. 

“ Oh, sir, you are mistaken as to the amount.” 

“ Three millions, I tell you ; I know it,” repeated the 
young man, thinking Colard wished to diminish the 
importance of the amount. 

“ All the same, sir, you are mistaken. It is seven 
millions.” 

“ Seven millions !” gasped the chevalier. 

The faint smile again showed itself on Colard’s pale 
lips. 

“ Yes,” he continued, “ seven millions. The notary 
has returned all of my master’s money intrusted to 
him. All the bonds are payable to bearer, and though 
the captain dares not seize them here, he knows my 
poor master’s mania for roaming, and he will excite 
and encourage his propensity until he gets him away 
from us all, and then Heaven help him ! The poor 
old lunatic, the captain will rob him of his last crown,” 
and Colard, hiding his face in his hands, burst into 
tears. 

“ Oh, will he, though !” thought De Lozeril. “ I 


224 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


know a trick worth two of that,” but laying- his hand 
affectionately on the old man’s arm, he said : 

“ Come, don’t frighten yourself, Colard. I will look 
after Annibal.” 

“ What, sir, you will have the courage to defy this 
savage beast ?” cried Colard with grateful admira- 
tion. 

“Yes, I shall stay here, and you may tell Mademoi- 
selle Pauline that my only motive in remaining is to 
prevent her ruin.” 

“ Oh, chevalier, believe me she will end by loving 
the man who shows such devotion.” 

“ I trust so, Colard, but I shall wait without even 
asking or expecting anything,” sighed De Lozeril with 
well-feigned emotion. 

“ Then from this day, sir, you will take care that my 
master is not carried away from us ?” 

“ Yes, I shall watch over him day and night,” replied 
the young man, but at the word ‘ night ’ a sudden 
thought struck him. “ Ah, by the way, tell me some- 
thing, Colard. Between Brichet’s apartment on the 
first floor and Fouquier’s on the second, is there not 
some sort of communication — a masked door — a secret 
staircase ?” 

“ I don’t know,” replied the attendant, repressing a 
tremor. 

“ The captain once told me something of the kind, 
but he never referred to the matter again. I should 
like to know, for you see what an immense advantage 
it would be to Fouquier if -this communication did 
exist, for he could get access to Brichet in his room at 
any hour of the night, while I would be breaking my 
nose against the door which had been carefully locked 
on the inside.” 

“ 1 know of no secret communication,” repeated 



, WAS BURIED in his breast. — See Page 2X1 


THE CHEVALIER'S STEEI. 






































































t * 



. 



♦ 




. . 









MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 225 

Colard, never for a moment flinching under the keen 
scrutiny of the chevalier. 

“And as I have said,” continued the latter, “ the 
outside door of Brichet’s apartments is guarded by 
bolts, is it not ?” 

“ Yes — but — ” said the old man, hesitating. 

“ But what ?” 

“ There are no bolts on the captain’s door, sir, only 
a key.” 

“ How could that help me, good man ?” 

“ In this way, sir ; that if there is a secret communi- 
cation between the two stories, and you could not get 
into M. Brichet’s room by the door, you could enter 
through the captain’s room by getting down the secret 
stair, and I have the key of Annibal’s room.” 

“ Very good, then I count on you. Now, tell me 
where is Brichet at this moment ?” 

“ I believe he is in the pavilion with madame.” 

“ The captain is not with them ?” 

“ Oh, no, sir ; he does not distrust his daugh- 
ter.” 

“Very well. Now I shall go and wait till Brichet 
leaves the pavilion, and you may be sure that if the 
captain thinks of enticing Brichet away to get hold of 
his money he won’t take him very far !” 

“ Oh, chevalier, how grateful Mademoiselle Pauline 
will be !” cried the old servant, with emotion, as he 
opened the door to De Lozeril, who, on descending to 
the garden, said to himself : 

“ He can keep his Mademoiselle Pauline if I can 
only get possession of the seven millions !” 

Colard followed him with his eyes as he walked up 
and down before the pavilion, and murmuring : 

“ Nov/ for the other one,” ascended to the second 
floor and entered the captain’s room. 


226 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ What do you want, idiot ?” he cried, on Colard's 
entrance. 

“ The captain seems to forget that this is the last 
day of the month — pay-day,” replied Colard, gently 
laying two heaps of louis on the table. 

“ Then you are welcome, knave, although you ought 
to understand that the last of the month should come 
every fifteen days,” said Annibal, mollified. 

“You must impress that on M. Brichet. Now that 
he has taken the management of his own affairs he 
will probably pay your pension himself, or perhaps 
get his son-in-law to do it.” 

“ His son-in-law ! What do you mean, donkey ?’* 
asked Annibal, surprised. 

“ Is it not true that M. de Lozeril will soon — ” 

The captain threw himself back in his chair and 
shrieked with laughter. 

“ Oh, you most egregious old idiot, and so you actu- 
ally believed that little joke, did you ?” he cried. 

“ Monsieur de Lozeril believes it,” affirmed Colard, 
seriously. 

“Oh, indeed !” 

“ Yes, he has just been asking me all about Monsieur 
Brichet’s fortune, and I told him about the seven mil- 
lion he carries about in his pocketbook.” 

“ You told him that, you cursed old fool ! What for, 
you idiot ?” 

“ Well, it was when Monsieur de Lozeril was speak- 
ing of those investments he is going to make in for- 
eign parts,” replied Colard, meekly. 

“ In foreign parts, do you say ?” 

“ Yes, it seems to me that he wants to get away 
soon, although he said nothing positively ; but I think 
he imagines a voyage would be good for the sick brain 
of his father-in-law.” 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


227 


“ You be cursed with your ‘ father-in-law/ indeed ! 
Get out of this, you imbecile ! Be off ! Make yourself 
scarce !” roared the captain. 

Colard did not require a second bidding, but humbly 
retired. Descending the staircase, he stopped at a 
window and watched Brichet emerging from his wife’s 
pavilion. He looked long and darkly at his master, 
murmuring the while : 

“ Now you may escape from me if you can, but I 
have let loose two bloodhounds on your track, who will 
very soon stop your running.” 

After Colard’s double confidence to De Lozeril and 
the captain, life resumed its apparently tranquil monot- 
ony in the Hotel Brichet. So long as the question of 
matrimony was not brought forward Annibal over- 
whelmed the chevalier with sweet words, while De 
Lozeril was equally amiable toward the giant ; but 
underneath the velvet paw of courtesy lay hidden a 
terrible claw ready to tear and rend whenever occa- 
sion should offer. The procureur resumed his former 
routine and simple habits despite the blandishments of 
the captain, who sorely tempted him to break his vow 
of abstinence. 

Annibal was irritated by his father-in-law’s obstinate 
sobriety, while De Lozeril, watching intently every 
move of Annibal, would say to himself : 

“ Yes, I see your game. You want to make the old 
fellow drunk, that you may get him to talk, but if he 
does tell you anything, be sure I will be there to 
listen.” 

Each of the rivals was intent on finding out where 
Brichet had deposited his treasure, and what disposi- 
tion he would make of the immense sum now lying 
idle in his hands. Each had done his utmost to extract 
the truth from the old man, but in this respect Brichet 


228 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


showed himself wide awake and even strategic, for he 
had once replied : 

“ What, you really didn’t think that the notary would 
bear me malice for a few words said in haste. I 
confess it was with difficulty I persuaded him to take 
back the money ; but it was too great an anxiety to 
me. I «ven returned Pauline’s dot , for it seems there 
is no hurry for it.” 

This cunning reply failed, however, to convince 
either Annibal or the chevalier, for each knew full 
well that the offended notary had never set foot within 
the hotel, and further, that Brichet had never crossed 
its threshold ; consequently, the money was still in his 
possession. M. de Badieres had returned once or twice 
to see his old friend, but being annoyed at the con- 
tinued presence of De Lozeril, his visits were cold and 
formal, and chiefly devoted to Aurore. 

Thus the old man was the exclusive property of the 
two rivals, who tracked his footsteps the whole day 
and conducted him to his apartments at night. Then 
the two scoundrels would bid one another an affection- 
ate good night. 

About a week after the double confidence of Colard, 
which naturally had more than ever put the rivals on 
the alert, Brichet seemed to begin to weary of the con- 
stant surveillance of his .body-guard, and, although he 
could not justly complain of too much zeal in their 
compliance with his own request, appeared desirous 
that their vigilance might be somewhat relaxed. And 
so, one morning at breakfast, a meal at which the 
ladies never appeared, the procnreiir said to Annibal, 
in a tone of kind solicitude : 

“ Do you know, my dear captain, my conscience has 
been reproaching me on your account.” 

“ How so, beloved son-in-law ?” 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


229 


“ Well, my illness has made me selfish ; and I have 
cut you off from all your friends, with whom you used 
to be so gay.” 

“ That is true,” replied Annibal, strangling a sigh at 
the recollection of by-gone orgies. 

“ But, although the doctor has ordered me to live, 
the life of a hermit, there is no reason why you should 
do likewise ; so now you must go back to your friends 
and enjoy yourself while you have health and capacity 
for enjoyment — to please me, my good Annibal.” 

The old thief wants to be off !” thought the captain, 
in no way deceived by Brichet’s pretended generosity, 
but with a charming imitation of simplicity and can- 
dor he replied : 

“ Brichet, shall I tell you the truth ?” 

“ Speak,” said Brichet. 

“Well, I swear to you on my honor that, since you 
have taught me to appreciate the simple pleasures 
of home life, I care no more for all the dissipation I 
formerly indulged in,” and the worthy Annibal threw 
himself back in his chair, and, with eyes half closed, 
looking the very picture of virtuous contentment, he 
uttered the following noble sentiment : “ Happy and 

wise is he, who, knowing how to appreciate the good 
things he holds in his hand, disdains the pursuit of 
vain and empty pleasures.” 

The sudden conversion of his father-in-law amazed 
Brichet, and looking keenly at the giant, after a mo- 
ment’s reflection, he again returned to the charge. 

“ Yes,” said he, “ a man is certainly a fool who runs 
after pleasure, when he can call pleasure to him.” 

“ What is he driving at now ?” thought the captain, 
surprised in his turn. 

Brichet continued, indulgently : 

“ Since your affection for me, a poor sick man, keeps 


230 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


you at my side and prevents your going into the town 
and enjoying yourself, why not invite some of your 
kind friends to come and see you here ?” 

The captain, almost dumb with astonishment, 
managed, however, to gasp out : 

“ But you showed my kind friends the door !” 

“ Ah, but I had not then learned to be fond of you,” 
said the repentant Brichet. 

“ And you complained of the noise they made over 
your head, although you were then in good health ; how 
could you like it now ?” said Annibal, emphatically. 

“ After all your attention to me in my sickness, the 
thought that you are enjoying yourself would now 
make me deaf to any slight noise there might be,” re- 
plied Brichet, gently. 

All this sudden indulgence had only the effect of 
doubling the captain’s suspicions. His eyes, at that 
moment, falling on De Lozeril, who sat listening in 
silence, the captain speculated thus : 

“ By Jove, I have it ! While I am carousing, he and 
the chevalier will be off, the devil knows where ; then 
farewell to the old man and his nugget !” 

In truth, however, De Lozeril was quite as much 
mystified as the captain, and he, on his side, surmised : 

“ These two have cunningly arranged this little plan 
between them to mask their flight. They will get 
Annibal’s friends here to make an infernal row and, 
imagining that I will believe Brichet to be in bed and 
the captain at table, the two will be off, and then good- 
by to Brichet and his millions !” 

But at the moment when each of the rogues had 
thus arrived at his own conclusion, Brichet utterly 
demolished all theories by remarking, calmly : 

“ I hope, Annibal, that you will invite De Lozeril. 
It will, so to speak, be his adieu to his bachelor life.” 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 231 

Annibal and the chevalier stared before them in 
open-mouthed astonishment, the one thinking - : 

“ If De Lozeril really comes to my table, he cannot 
be intending to make away with Brichet. ,, 

And the other : 

“ If Fouquier includes me among his guests he can- 
not think of eluding me and going of with the old 
man.” 

Brichet, intent on his breakfast, saw nothing of his 
auditors’ discomfiture. At length he raised his head 
and asked : 

“ Is it agreed ? Is the chevalier to be invited to your 
little carouse ?” 

“ Such an agreeable guest will indeed be welcome !” ‘ 
replied the captain, hastily, delighted at the idea of 
keeping De Lozeril under his eye during the evening. 

“ And you, De Lozeril ?” asked the procureur of the 
young man, who hesitated to answer, but, at this mo- 
ment, his eye meeting that of Colard, who stood at his 
usual place, mute and passive, behind his master’s 
chair, it appeared to him that the attendant made a 
slight affirmative sign, and so he replied : 

“So amiable a host as the captain would easily in- 
duce one to accept his invitation, and I do so, with 
pleasure.” 

Brichet’s glass was raised to his lips, and if the two 
rivals had not been engaged in looking defiance at each 
other across the table, they might have observed that 
the hand which held the glass trembled as the second 
“ body-guard ” gave his consent. 

That same evening, in consequence of the above 
conversation, the table was sumptuously laid in Anni- 
bal’s apartment, surrounded by the “ kind friends,” who 
had hastened eagerly to obey his summons. Previous 
to taking their place at the supper table, the two men 


232 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


had, as usual, accompanied Brichet to the door of his 
bedroom, where, wishing them good night, he added : 

“ Enjoy yourselves, my friends, to your heart’s con- 
tent. The pleasure of knowing that you are happy is 
enough for me, and I shall soon be sent to sleep by the 
clinking of your glasses.” 

So saying, the procureur waved his hand gayly and 
passed into his room, the grating of the lock and the 
drawing of the bolts announcing that he had locked 
himself in for the night. 





CHAPTER XXI. 

The reader must now return to Doctor Gardi. It 
will be remembered that, after the night at Brichet’s 
bedside, the doctor had returned home, sad and pen- 
sive, and that when, two hours later, Colard presented 
himself at his door, he was told by the doctor’s servant 
that her master had gone into the country. His ab- 
sence was but short, for the following morning the 
servant heard him singing merrily at his toilet. His 
present gayety contrasted so agreeably with his previ- 
ous sadness, that the old servant, who adored him, 
could not help observing the transition, and re- 
marked : 

“ You seem to have had a pleasant journey, sir.” 

“A capital journey, Germaine,” cried the young 
man, rubbing his hands. 

“ Perhaps you went off in quest of good spirits, sir ?” 

“ What makes you say that, Germaine?” 

“ Well, sir, you went away as dull as a night-cap, 
and you have come back as gay as a lark, and, although 
I am deaf, you woke me up this morning with your 
singing and whistling as you ran about your rooms.” 

“ Ah, by the way, yes ; just let us speak a moment 
of that, for it is you, disobedient old woman, who make 

[233] 



234 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


me run about ! Ah, my good Germaine, if I could only 
persuade you to let my table alone, and leave off turn- 
ing it upside down, under pretext of arranging it !” 

“ Tell me in what corner you have hidden away a 
little vial which was standing there at the corner of 
the bureau ? It was there the day before yester- 
day.” 

“There were two vials, one blue and one white,” 
said Germaine. 

“ Just so.” 

“ But don’t you remember, sir, that when you were 
called to Madame Brichet the evening before last, 
Colard came five minutes later and fetched one of the 
two little bottles you wanted ? He took the white 
one.” 

“ That is so, Germaine, but as Colard made a mis- 
take and brought me the white vial instead of the blue 
one, he must have brought back the white vial. Well, 
that is the bottle I am looking for, as it ought to be 
locked up to prevent accidents. Now then, where have 
you put it ? Not in the kitchen, I hope, for that little 
vial contains enough poison to slaughter a whole drove 
of bullocks.” 

The old woman burst out laughing, as she answered : 

“ Oh, sir, I was saved the trouble of putting it by, 
for Colard in his hurry fell all his length on the pave- 
ment with the white vial in his hand, and it was 
smashed to pieces. He told me about it and said he 
would confess his accident to you himself. Perhaps 
he came to tell you yesterday, for he was here about 
two hours after you had started, but I think he must 
have had something else to say, for he seemed very 
much put out.” 

“ Why didn’t you ask him ? You ought to have 
brought him in and seen what he wanted, poof chap !” 


MYSTERY OE HOTEL BRICHET. 235 

said the lovesick doctor, thinking that perhaps Colard’s 
visit had something to do with Pauline. 

“ I would have done so, sir, but at the moment that 
handsome lady was here,” answered Germaine. 

“ What lady ?” 

“ The lady who came here once before when Mon- 
sieur de Lozeril was at his worst. You told me it was 
her visit saved him.” 

*• Ah,” said Maurice, “ she came again yesterday, 
did she ?” 

“ Yes, sir, and it seems she must always bring luck 
to the young man, for just as I shut the door I heard 
her say, ‘ A perfect triumph, my dear, and I have just 
come to tell' you that you are accepted.’ I didn’t hear 
any more, but as soon as she had gone Monsieur de 
Lozeril fell to dancing and singing like a madman.” 

“ Like me this morning, eh, Germaine ?” asked the 
doctor, smiling at the old woman’s gossip. 

“ Yes, sir, only that you sang after you came back, 
and he sang before going away, for the chevalier told 
me yesterday that he was off.” 

“ Ah, he is about to leave us !” cried Maurice, quickly, 
as if this news inspired him with an idea. 

“ Yes, sir, and I can just tell you I am not sorry, for 
I don’t like having strangers in our house. It doesn’t 
seem as if we were at home,” remarked the old serv- 
ant, who considered the doctor and his house her own 
exclusive property. 

“ Really, my good Germaine, you don’t care, then, 
about having another visitor, eh ?” 

“ No, sir, and especially one like this chevalier, with 
no manners, calling me * old fool,’ indeed, and never 
saying ‘ thank you ’ for anything. Let him go, and a 
good journey to him ! Certainly I won’t run after him 
and ask him to stay,” replied the old woman, to whom 


236 MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 

the insolence of the chevalier had given so much dis- 
satisfaction. 

At this moment there was a knock at the door. 

“ Come in !” cried Maurice, and the chevalier entered. 
At a sign from her master Germaine left the room. 

“ My dear doctor,” said De Lozeril, “ I have come to 
wish you good-bye.” 

“ My servant was just this moment telling me you 
were going to leave us, chevalier.” 

“ And I could not go without coming to thank you 
for all your goodness to me. I am sure, doctor, you 
rescued me from the very jaws of death, and it is to 
your care I owe my present happiness, for I must tell 
you I am going to be married,” and waving his hand 
toward the Hotel Brichet, the chevalier added : “ I am 
to marry Mademoiselle Pauline Brichet, whose father 
has been good enough to accept me for his son-in- 
law.” 

It will be remembered that on the previous day, 
when Maurice so suddenly left Paris, Mme. de Brageron 
had not yet paid her visit to the procureur , and the 
doctor was therefore ignorant of all that had happened 
■ — the proposal from the marquise and Brichet’s ready 
acceptance. He thus suddenly learned that the girl 
he loved had been promised t ) another man, and this 
man an utter scoundrel. One would have supposed 
that on seeing his love-dreams vanish away, Maurice 
would have been lost in despair ; but far from this, 
with a bright smile on his lips and in a cheerful voice 
he cried gayly : 

“ My sincere compliments, chevalier. The bride is 
very pretty, and she has a large fortune, which, you 
know, does not detract from her beauty.” 

“Oh, as for the fortune — ” said De Lozeril with a 
gesture of disdainful indifference. 


Mystery of hotel brichet. 


23 ? 

“ Then you are contented to be simply loved by 
Mademoiselle Pauline Brichet ?” 

“You go too fast, doctor. I adore Mademoiselle 
Pauline, and I hope she will love me — some day — but 
at present she has only seen me once, although I have 
her father’s formal permission to pay my addresses to 
her.” 

The doctor followed all these details -with as little 
show of emotion as if Pauline had been an absolute 
stranger to him, and De Lozeril continued : 

“ If I am now leaving your hospitable abode, doctor, 
it is because Monsieur Brichet has begged me to go 
and stay at the hotel until the marriage takes place.” 

Maurice here interrupted the chevalier with a peal 
of laughter. 

“ Excuse my gayety,” he said ; “ but I was just think- 
ing what a queer thing life is ! Who would ever have 
thought that you would one day beceme the son-in-law 
of the man whom you imagined you saw dying of a 
terrible wound — here, I think ?” and the doctor raised 
his hand to his throat. 

“ No, it was here, just the same place where I was 
wounded,” replied the chevalier, pointing to the back 
of his neck ; and as he was bending down, to show the 
place of the wound, he failed to see the light that 
flashed for a moment in Maurice’s eyes. 

“ Shall I always retain the mark ?” asked De Lozeril. 

We cannot tell whether this question took Maurice 
by surprise, but certain it is that the doctor had to 
pause and steady his voice before answering : 

“ No, it will disappear completely.” 

“ So much the better,” replied the chevalier, who, 
before asking, had recalled to mind the assertion of 
Annibal that there was no sign of a wound on Brichet’s 
neck. 


238 


MYSTERY of HOTEL LRiCHET. 


Seeing- that the chevalier was about to depart, the 
doctor held out his hand, saying : 

“ Adieu, M. de Lozeril, and if you owe me any grati- 
tude prove it by retaining me as doctor of the family 
you are about to enter, for I suppose yon know I 
already attend professionally at the Hotel Brichet.” 

“ True, I remember now that the Marquise de Bra- 
geron told me you had saved M. Brichet from an 
almost fatal attack.” 

Yes, and if you have any influence over your future 
father-in-law try to keep him from drinking. If he 
drinks, he is a lost man.” 

Maurice stood long on the doorstep, observing De 
Lozeril’s retreating figure. 

“ Scoundrel,” he exclaimed, on seeing him at last 
disappear. 

The doctor went up to the room that had been the 
chevalier’s for the last three months and found Ger- 
maine busy, broom in hand. 

“ No more visitors,” she replied gayly, on seeing her 
master. 

“ Why, Germaine, you seem to have a perfect horror 
of visitors !” replied Maurice, smiling. 

“ I have indeed, sir, a holy horror !” 

“ Even if it happened to be a relation of mine ?” 

“ Oh, that would be quite a different thing ; but you 
have always told me you had nobody belonging to you.” 

“ Then you are not afraid of my putting your 
amiability to too strong a proof.” 

The old woman looked at him sadly. 

“ Ah, Monsieur Maurice,” she said, half crying, 
“ that is not kind of you. You know very well I have 
a habit of always grumbling, but if I only thought I 
could make you happy by putting my hand in the 
fire, you know I would do it directly.” 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


239 


“ Oh, oh ! I have a great mind to take you at your 
word !” 

“ Light the fire, sir, and you will soon see.” 

“ No, no, my poor Germaine, there are other ways 
of testing your devotion, without getting you to burn 
your dear old hand,” replied the young man, affection- 
ately. 

“ Tell me to do something impossible, sir, and I will 
do it.” 

“ Impossible, do you say ? Well, what I am going 
to ask you comes very near it.” 

“ What can it be ?” asked Germaine, curiously. 

“It is to be silent and discreet, Germaine, for fifteen 
long days, whatever you may see and hear in this 
house,” said Maurice, very gravely. 

The entrance of Colard, who, on learning of the 
doctor’s return, had hastened with the news of all that 
had happened, interrupted Maurice, who received Co- 
lard’s story of the approaching marriage with such 
perfect calm that the old servant stared at him in 
amazement. 

“ Do you think, sir, that the future will be as charm- 
ing for Mademoiselle Pauline as for him ?” pursued 
the attendant, puzzled at the doctor’s tone and 
manner. 

“ And why should Mademoiselle Brichet dread the 
future ? This marriage is arranged by a father who 
adores her, and who would certainly never give his 
daughter to a man whom he thought unworthy of 
her.” 

“ But every one says Monsieur de Lozeril is a beast ! 
Monsieur Bandinau and Monsieur de Badieres have 
done everything possible to put the marriage out of my 
master’s head, but he insists on it all the same.” 

“ It is his right, as a father, my friend. For you can 


240 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


hardly deny that he is her father, can you, Colard ?” 
asked Maurice, with emphasis, fixing his eyes search- 
ingly on the old servant. 

The attendant made no reply to this question, but 
stood looking on the ground. Presently he answered : 

“ A father- cannot command his daughter’s heart, 
especially when that heart has already declared itself 
for another.” 

In spite of himself, the young doctor’s eyes sparkled 
with joy at hearing these words, but he continued, with 
well-feigned indifference : 

“ Ah ! So Mademoiselle Brichet is in love with 
somebody ? And who may that happy mortal be ?” 

Colard, as we have said, had ever watched over 
Pauline with a more than paternal care, his vigilance 
never relaxing excepting in favor of Maurice, in whom 
he recognized a loyal and generous man, and whom he 
really believed Pauline secretly loved. It was, there- 
fore, with the deepest mortification that he listened to 
the doctor’s half-pitying remarks ; but, not wishing to 
admit to himself that he had been mistaken, the old 
man replied : 

“ Whom does she love, do you say, sir ? A man who, 
I am certain, will show himself truly worthy of her, in 
coming to her defense.” 

‘‘Her defense! Against whom or what? You 
surely would never invite her to rebel against the will 
of her own father. Eh, Colard ?” 

As Maurice thus a second time invoked the parental 
authority, instead of promising his aid, the attendant 
changed color and looked earnestly in the young man’s 
eyes as if to read his secret thoughts. He remained 
silent a few moments, and then, apparently, deeming 
the mystery inexplicable, moved slowly toward the 
door. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


241 


“ Are yon going-, Colard ?” asked Maurice. 

“Yes, sir,” answered Colard, mournfully. “I am 
going to tell poor Mademoiselle Pauline that she has 
no one to look to now but her old servant !” 

Step by step, very slowly, Colard went down-stairs, 
vainly hoping that Maurice would repent and call him 
back. On reaching the hall door he still lingered, but 
instead of being recalled he only heard the doctor 
singing gayly in his room. Colard, heart-broken, mur- 
mured, with a sob : 

“ Ah, why has he ceased: to love my sweet, unhappy 
Pauline ?” 

On his return to the hotel, Pauline ran to meet him 
and asked him, anxiously : 

“ Well, Colard ?” 

“Doctor Gardi has not come back yet,” he said, not 
having the courage to tell the poor girl that he whom 
she loved thought no more of her ; but as Colard was 
speaking Pauline saw Maurice enter the garden and 
direct his steps toward the pavilion. 

“ Why should Colard thus deceive me,” she asked 
herself, fearing she knew not what ; but on seeing the 
grief depicted on the old man’s face, she believed that 
Colard himself had been deceived. For the first time 
in her innocent life, Pauline, swayed by the irresistible 
influence of love, lent herself to a small deception. 

“ I am going down to the pavilion to see how Aurore 
is to-day,” she said. 

“You will find M. de Badieres there. He has just 
been visiting your father, and has now gone to call on 
Madame Brichet,” replied Colard, as the young girl 
disappeared. 

It was, therefore, with something like fright that, 
on pushing the door of the boudoir, whither she had 
flown on wings of love, she found herself in the pres- 


242 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


ence of Maurice, alone. A vivid blush overspread her 
features, as she stood, for a moment, holding the handle 
of the door. Her embarrassment was of short dura- 
tion, for following close behind her M. de Badieres 
entered the pavilion, with Aurore leaning on his arm. 

“ Paulinette !” cried the judge affectionately, “ are 
you blind and deaf ? You passed quite close to us 
without taking the slightest notice, though I called 
out to you. Come here and kiss me, pretty pet.” 

When Colard had gone Maurice reflected that he had, 
perhaps, carried his assumption of indifference toward 
Pauline too far, and he cried, suddenly : 

“ I must speak to her ! But how am I to see her ? 
Well, after all, I am attending Madame Aurore and 
Monsieur Brichet, and I may as well pay them a pro- 
fessional visit. I shall indeed be unlucky if somehow 
I do not get near Pauline.” 

Fortune had favored Maurice, for on entering the 
garden he had seen Madame Brichet and the jiidge 
seated on a bench, enjoying the spring sunshine. On 
perceiving him, Aurore with a grateful gesture had 
signified her intention of joining him in the pavilion, 
which he at once entered. A moment later Pauline 
had appeared, out of breath with her rapid flight across 
the garden. Had she been able to hear, the dialogue 
would have somewhat surprised her, for M. de Badieres 
was saying kindly to Aurore : 

“ My dear child, the secret with which you trusted 
me is now known, since yesterday, to a third person.” 

Aurore looked terrified ; the judge hastened to add : 

Oh, do not be afraid. The person I have told is a 
gentleman who would die rather than reveal a secret 
confided to his honor. Besides, it is he who holds in 
his hand the fate of Monsieur de Cambiac.” 

Aurore raised her lovely eyes imploringly to the 


MySTERV OF HOtEL feRICHET. 243 

judge’s face, and he, answering the mute appeal, 
replied : 

“ It is His Royal Highness, Monseigneur, the Regent 
of France. I have told him everything — of the baron’s 
innocence and his noble sacrifice of himself to save 
your reputation, as well as your resolution to exculpate 
him, if necessary, by a public avowal of the truth, and 
these are the words of his royal highness : ‘ De Cam- 
biac has behaved like a true gentleman. In his place 
I trust I should have done the same. Tell the lady 
that she must not render useless his noble self-sacrifice 
by making a public scandal, for I will undertake to 
save Monsieur de Cambiac.’ ” 

Aurore listened, radiant with joy, as the judge con- 
tinued : 

“ This is what has been decided. De Cambiac will 
be allowed to escape secretly and reach a foreign land. 
It always being understood that the baron is in prison, 
his trial will be indefinitely postponed, and in the 
meantime it is hoped that the police will be able to 
discover the real assassin of that cursed De Lozeril.” 

Mme. Brichet had eagerly listened to every word of 
the magistrate, and when he ceased. to speak, despite 
the immense joy that filled her bosom at the thought 
of her friend’s safety, two large tears trembled in her 
eyes, and a wail of despair rose from her heart to her 
lips as she sobbed out : 

“ I shall never see him again !” 

But as soon as the assassin is discovered M. de 
Cambiac can return to France,” added the judge. 

“ I shall never see him again,” she repeated, mourn- 
fully. 

“ Do you remember, madame, that you swore to be 
an irreproachable wife,” asked the magistrate, sternly. 

At this moment Pauline flitted past them. After 


244 mystery of hotel rrichet. 

vainly calling her, the judge arose and followed hef, 
accompanied by Aurore, who speedily regained her 
composure. 

Such were the events preceding Annibal’s famous 
supper, to which we must now return. Be it said, 
however, that although the moments were but few 
that elapsed between the entrance of Pauline to the 
pavilion and the arrival of Aurore and the judge, 
Maurice had found time to say : 

“ Pauline, my darling, you know I love you madly. 
Wnatever they may say and whatever they may do, 
trust me always and believe that I am watching over 
you !” 



CHAPTER XXII. 

Brichet had no sooner locked his door and drawn 
the bolts, than Fouquier cried : 

“ Come, chevalier ; quick to the table ! Our friends 
are waiting for us upstairs.” 

Instead of answering the captain’s summons, De 
Lozeril stood still before the bolted door, apparently 
in reflection, and then burst into a peal of laughter. 

“ What makes you so merry ?” asked Annibal, who 
was half-way up the stairs. 

“ My thoughts.” 

“ What were you thinking about, dear friend?” asked 
Annibal, standing still on the staircase. 

“ Oh, you are too inquisitive !” said the chevalier, in 
a mocking tone. 

‘‘Well, please yourself!” retorted Annibal, dryly, 
continuing his ascent, on seeing that De Lozeril did 
not wish to speak. 

The table had been laid in a room adjoining the 
captain’s bedroom, and in order to dispense with the 
presence of servants, the supper had been served in 
advance — four chosen guests being already seated 
around the board, hungry and impatient. Annibal’s 
entrance was greeted with a murmur of satisfaction, 
which was cut short by the appearance of De Lozeril, 
whom the guests did not know. 

[245 J 


$46 mystery op hotel BRiCHET. 

“ Gentlemen, allow me to introduce to you the 
Chevalier de Lozeril, a good enemy of mine, with whom 
I have much pleasure in laughing and drinking while 
waiting for something better,” said Fouquier grimly, 
still under the recent irritation of the scene on the 
stair. 

On this introduction, so full of covert menace, the 
guests turned toward De Lozeril and surveyed him 
curiously. All of them, it appeared, had a very high 
opinion of Annibal’s fighting powers, for the looks 
with which they favored the chevalier might have 
been bestowed on a criminal who had just received 
sentence of death. De Lozeril, however, was not in 
the least dismayed, and smiling in his most agreeable 
manner, bowed to the guests, saying : 

“ The pleasure of being in such charming company 
has induced me to accept the captain’s invitation, with 
whom, as he has told you, I am in high esteem.” 

“ Good !” said Annibal. “ Now, De Lozeril, sit down 
there and let us drink fair while awaiting the approach- 
ing pleasure of cutting each other’s throats. As for 
you, gentlemen, it is quite unnecessary to incite you 
to do your duty.” 

And in truth these “ kind friends ” of Annibal had 
little need of encouragement in the matter of eating 
and drinking, for if their morality was weak, their 
powers of absorption were strong. Was De Lozeril 
sufficiently strong to hold his own against these 
seasoned topers, on whom even a fifth bottle had no 
perceptible effect ? It appeared so, at first, for the 
chevalier accepted every invitation of Annibal ; and 
seated face to face the two enemies could not cheat 
one another of a single glass. But unfortunately for 
De Lozeril, long practice had made the captain his 
superior at drinking as well as fighting. By degrees 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


247 


the chevalier grew more and more noisy and loquacious, 
and his speech became thick and indistinct. 

“ Man overboard !” cried his neighbor with a sar- 
donic grin ; to which De Lozeril with drunken vanity 
retorted : • 

“ What do you mean ? Do you mean to say I ’m 
drunk ?” 

“Well, something like it, chevalier,” replied the 
convive , who understood by a sign from the captain 
that he was to irritate the young man. “ I have seen 
a young girl like that when she had drunk neither 
more nor less than you.” 

Like most drunkards, De Lozeril was full of boast- 
ing and defiance, and he rashly cried : 

“ I can drink better than you any day, old idiot, and 
I wager I can turn off three bottles while you are fin- 
ishing two !” 

So saying the young man rose from his chair and 
made for a sideboard where a perfect regiment of 
bottles was ranged in reserve ; but he had only taken 
a few steps when he stumbled and fell heavily into a 
chair. 

There De Lozeril sat helpless, his arfns hanging 
listlessly and his head sunk on his breast, muttering, 
from time to time, unintelligible words. The fumes 
of wine, having mounted to his brain, had thus de- 
livered the chevalier defenseless into his enemy’s hand. 

“ You ought to put the baby to bed ; he is incapable 
of connecting two ideas,” said the neighbor. 

“ My ideas are a great deal clearer than yours, you 
drunken fool,” roared De Lozeril. “ Ask me whatever 
you like and see if I don’t answer you, wretched wine 
barrel !” 

The captain, taking advantage of the chevalier’s 
offer, said : 


248 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ Look here, De Lozeril, what were you laughing at, 
two hours ago, before Brichet’s door ?” 

Utterly bereft of all prudence, De Lozeril hiccoughed 
out, with an idiotic laugh : 

“ Ah, yes, and" I can’t help laughing now. This is 
what it was, I suspect you — you suspect me — we watch 
each other. Well, I was thinking to myself what a 
joke it would be if, while we two are up here, the bird 
should fly away all by itself !” 

“ Gad, he is right,” cried Annibal, vaguely alarmed. 

But with the rapidly changing caprice of a drunken 
man, De Lozeril had already forgotten what he had 
said, and now stammered : 

“ I want to go — to go to bed ! My head’s splitting. 
When I have slept a little I shall come back and drink.” 

“ The truth is, he will be much better in his bed. 
He will only bore us all the night. It will save us 
trouble in the end to carry him to his room,” suggested 
the chevalier’s neighbor. 

“Yes, let’s carry him to his room,” added another, 
rising to lend his aid. 

But the captain, like a prudent man, deemed it wiser 
to keep his enemy under his own eye. 

“ No, no,” he said, “ what is the good of that ? At this 
hour every one is asleep, and he is certain to wake the 
whole house.” 

“ Well, but we can’t have him here the whole night, 
tumbling about first to the right and then to the left,” 
cried the neighbor, who was holding the young man 
propped up in his chair. 

“ Ah, I have an idea,” cried another. “ Suppose we 
carry him into the next room and lay him on the cap- 
tain’s bed.” 

“ All right,” said Annibal, by this plan keeping De 
Lozeril under surveillance. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHE-T. 


249 


And accordingly they lifted the chevalier, who was 
now sound asleep, upon the bed, covering him with a 
cloak of Fouquier’s. 

Suspicion of Brichet’s possible flight so possessed 
Annibal’s mind that he became fidgety and restless. 
In five minutes he could bear it no longer. So, rising 
from the table, he left the room, after saying to his 
guests : 

“ I don’t feel very sure about our tipsy friend ; he 
might wake up and make a row in the house trying to 
find his way back to his bedroom. I think I had better 
turn the key in the outside door,” and Annibal passed 
into his own room. 

By the light that entered from the door of the 
supper-room, which he had left ajar, he could distin- 
guish the form of the chevalier lying in a dark heap 
on the bed. Annibal approached, bent over him, and 
listened. 

“ Yes, he is asleep,” he said, hearing a snore issuing 
from the folds of the cloak, and feeling certain that 
De Lozeril could neither see nor hear, he advanced to 
the secret door and gently pushed the spring. It flew 
open, and he descended the stair into the grand salon. 

Brichet had left the door of his bedroom wide open. 
It was brilliantly lighted, and from his “ coin of van- 
tage ” Annibal saw the old man undressing. Quite 
relieved, the captain ascended to his own room, where 
De Lozeril was still snoring in happy innocence. 

“ There, that’s done,” he said, returning to his guests, 
“ and now if the fellow wants to get up and make a 
racket he can’t.” 

His expedition had not occupied more than three 
minutes, but had it been twice as long the guests were 
too well occupied with the bottles to notice his 
absence. And now, indeed, did the noble Annibal feel 


250 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BrIcHET 1 . 


“ o’er all the ills of life victorious.” After the terrible 
fright De Lozeril had given him over Brichet, he felt 
entitled to a double share of enjoyment, and returned 
to his carouse with much good will. In a very short 
time he had the table to himself, his guests having one 
by one sunk gracefully to a well-earned repose beneath 
its hospitable shelter. Annibal’s former uneasiness 
again took possession of his heated brain. 

“ Too much caution never does any harm,” he 
thought ; “ let’s see if the old man is still all right,” 
and he passed into his bedroom. 

His first care was to assure himself that the chevalier 
w*as asleep, and seeing the cloak-covered mass lying 
immovable on the bed, he crossed the room and ap- 
plied his finger to the spring of the hidden door. 

“ What does this mean ?” he cried. “ It does not 
act !” and he made another effort. Useless ! All at 
once a suspicion flashed across him. He rushed to the 
bed and dragged off the cloak. De Lozeril was gone ! 
In his stead were four large cushions taken from the 
arm-chairs. On finding himself thus cleverly duped, 
the captain’s wrath knew no bounds. 

“ The devil ! He was no more drunk than a duck, 
and I have shown him the secret door by which he has 
got to Brichet !” 

The fact was but too evident. De Lozeril, feigning 
intoxication, had stolen a march on the captain and 
gone' down to Brichet’s apartments. But how long 
had he been gone ? This was the thought that now 
tormented Annibal’s somewhat cloudy imagination. 
He returned from his inspection of the scantily-dressed 
procurenr at one o’clock after midnight, and five o’clock 
was now striking from the Church of St. Louis. The 
chevalier had thus had the advantage of four hours’ 
start. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


251 


“ They may be far away by this time,” thought the 
giant, twirling his mustache convulsively. 

The first thing, to be done was to get down to Bri- 
chet’s room at once, but the door of the secret stair 
being now unavailable, there remained only the al- 
ternative of descending by the grand staircase and 
ascertaining whether the outside door of Brichet’s 
apartments was open, as the two fugitives would 
probably in their hurry have neglected to lock it. 
Taking a candle, he stepped out on the landing and 
began to descend the stair. 

“ What on earth is that?” he cried, stopping in the 
middle, and on the landing, opposite Brichet’s door, 
the outline of a figure was faintly visible. 

At the sound of his footsteps the figure moved, then 
drew itself suddenly up ; but before it could vanish 
Annibal had seized it in his vigorous grasp and, by 
the glimmer of the candle, he beheld the pale face of 
Colard, seemingly half asleep. 

“ Hello, Colard ! What the mischief are you doing 
here at this time of night, sitting on the stair when 
you ought to be in bed ?” 

“ I was waiting, captain, for your friends to go away, 
sir, as I have to shut the great door after them. Be- 
side, you or these gentlemen might be wanting some- 
thing, and every one else has gone to bed.” 

And Annibal, knowing full well the peculiar habit 
of the old man on this point, accepted the explanation. 
But, while speaking, he mechanically advanced his 
foot a step and, surprised to find something pressing 
against his knee, he stooped down to see what the 
obstacle was. 

“ Why, what ’s this ?” he cried, finding it was a cord 
tied at one end round Colard’s wrist, the other end 
attached to the handle of Brichet’s door. 


252 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


Colard, smiling, replied : 

“Oh, it’s very simple, sir. You see, I sleep very 
soundly, so I tied this string to my hand that it might go 
right across the stair, and then when any of these gen- 
tlemen came down I should feel them pushing against 
it and that would wake me up at once.’’ 

“ Yes, Colard, very simple, like all great inventions, 
my friend, and your idea is the more remarkable, as it 
can be made to serve two purposes. It ’s quite by 
chance, I suppose — pure accident — that you tie your 
cord to the handle of Brichet’s door, eh ?” asked An- 
nibal, in a tone of jeering mockery. 

“ Quite by accident, as you say, sir. I tied it to the 
first thing that came to hand,” replied the major- 
domo. 

“You old humbug ! You think I’m going to swal- 
low that ?” thought Annibal, and he continued aloud : 

“ Really, and it never occurred to you that as this 
door opens to the inside, if any one tried to come out of 
the room your arm would get such a pull that you 
could hardly fail to see the person.” . 

“ Well, now, I never thought of that before, but who 
would be coming out of my master’s room in the night ?” 
Colard asked innocently. 

“ Brichet himself — perhaps.” 

Colard laughed. 

“ In that case, sir, Monsieur Brichet has never moved 
this night, for here have I been sitting ever since 
twelve o’clock, and not a soul has passed.” 

This answer caused the captain’s heart to leap for 
joy, for he reflected that as De Lozeril could not pos- 
sibly have reached Brichet before one o’clock, they 
must therefore be shut up together in the room, so he 
continued in quite an affectionate manner : 

“ Come, go to bed, my good man. If is too fatiguing 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


253 


for an old fellow like you to be sitting up so late. 
Besides, it is useless, for my friends are not nearly 
through yet. They have a pile of bottles to empty 
that will keep them well into the morning.” And 
Annibal slowly remounted the stair, repeating as he 
went, “ Go to bed, Colard, there’s a good fellow.” 

“Well, captain, I won’t refuse, so good night, and 
thank you, sir,” replied Colard, rising and descending 
the stair. 

Fouquier entered his bedroom, shutting the door 
noisily that the attendant might hear him. He then 
blew out the candle, opened the door very gently and 
came out on the landing. He leaned over the banister 
and listened. Instead of Colard’s footsteps becoming 
fainter and fainter in the distance, they suddenly 
stopped altogether. Then after a moment of complete 
silence the captain heard the old man stealthily re- 
mount the stair and once more station himself before 
his master’s door. 

“ What the mischief has put that game into his head 
to-night ?” thought the captain, sorely puzzled and 
little thinking that for sixteen previous nights Colard 
had thus been on the watch. 

Colard was fully aware of Annibal’s maneuver. 

“ The captain is spying me,” he thought. “ Instead 
of their shouting and singing it is all quiet up there 
now, so he left them dead drunk while he prowls about 
the staircase watchihg this door. I saw how delighted 
he seemed when I said no one had passed out. What 
can those two scoundrels be up to ? Is it to-night they 
will smash each other ?” and the old man reseated him- 
self on the stair, waiting — silent — in the darkness. 

Like the wild beast, who, on seeing his prey about to 
escape, seizes it once more in his cruel claws, the cap- 
tain felt a terrible satisfaction. 


254 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ I ’ve got De Lozeril,” he said, “ he ’s caught in a 
real trap this time. The idiot ought to have escaped 
at once. He could easily have knocked over Colard if 
the old fellow made any resistance, but the imbecile 
thought he had lots of time before him, and that I would 
be asleep under the table long ago with these brutes in 
there.” But now a suspicion flashed across the cap- 
tain’s mind. “ Surely,” he thought, “ in four hours De 
Lozeril has had time enough to persuade Brichet to 
get off with the spoil ; then, why haven’t they gone ? 
Can they have got out of the window ? It is rather 
high, but De Lozeril is lithe enough and ” — but the 
idea was too horrible. The captain could not follow 
it out. A vision appeared to his beclouded mind of De 
Lozeril, unwilling to embarrass his flight with an old 
man, quietly murdering the procureur and decamping 
by the window with all the millions ! “ And a nice 

mess that will be for me,” he concluded, “ for with my 
shady reputation they will say it is I who have mur- 
dered the old man !” and, returning to his room he 
attempted a second time to remove the spring of the 
secret door, but in vain. “ Come, said he, I must try 
something else,” and applying his powerful shoulder 
to the wood-work, in one moment the door was burst 
in, and he had barely time to catch it and save it from 
clattering noisily down the stair. Sticking in the 
spring, he found the chevalier’s rapier, which he 
seized on, crying gaily : “ That’s tme weapon less for 
that ass, De Lozeril, if we do come to close quarters 
and settle our accounts down-stairs.” Fouquier re- 
turned for a moment to take a last look at his drunken 
friends, who were peaceably snoring side by side. 
“ A cannon wouldn’t wake them,” he said. “ So now 
I can attend to my little family matters without fear 
of being disturbed,” and, taking his heavy rapier from 


mystery of hotel brichet. 255 

its place on the wall, he began to descend the secret 
stair, murmuring the while : “ Come now, let ’s see 
whether I am really an unhappy father-in-law bereft 
of his well-beloved son !” 

Annibal descended slowly and carefully, with the 
air of a man who knows he is about to face a mortal 
peril. De Lozeril had evidently imagined that he had 
effectually barred out the captain by closing the secret 
stair, for the door of the salon yielded at once to the 
pressure of his hand. He stopped a moment before 
entering, and listened intently. 

“Yes, my two rabbits are still in their hole !” he 
murmured joyfully. 

Impossible to describe the immense satisfaction of 
Fouquier on hearing distinctly the two voices. He 
was now certain that Brichet had neither been robbed 
nor murdered, and he had the further delight of know- 
ing that De Lozeril was there, in his power, at the 
mercy of his rapier ! He drew it gently from its 
sheath and advanced stealthily. . Screened by the 
darkness of the salon , he stood still, watching with 
amazement the scene presented to his view through the 
open door of Brichet’s bedroom. The procureur's bed 
was unoccupied, and had evidently not been slept in, 
although when Annibal had last seen Brichet he was 
in his shirt and in the act of taking off his stockings. 
How did it happen that Brichet was now fully dressed 
and his bed untouched ? Had De Lozeril compelled 
the old man to relinquish his intention of going to bed 
and forced him to dress himself ? It appeared so ; but 
what on earth had happened to Brichet ? He was 
completely metamorphosed. Instead of his habitual 
dress of severe and dignified black, the procureur wore 
a gray costume of quite a modern cut, and his solemn 
legal wig had given place to a fashionable and jaunty 


256 MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 

peruke, entirely changing his face and its expression. 
His feet, no longer incased in their usual flat-heeled 
shoes, were now equipped with a pair of strong riding- 
boots and spurs. It was certainly Brichet, but Brichet 
so perfectly transformed that Annibal could scarcely 
believe his senses. The sight of the spurs was a reve- 
lation to him. “ Yes,” he said, “ I see it now ! When 
I saw the old fellow undressed he was not going to 
bed, he was only changing his clothes to be ready to 
decamp with De Lozeril,” and the captain could not 
repress a smile at the idea of Brichet perched upon a 
horse— die who confessed that during his recent travels 
he had never even had the courage to bestride a 
donkey. But the captain’s gayety soon gave place to 
wonder, and he racked his brains as to what could 
have delayed the two men so long in taking flight. 
What had they been doing these four hours, and what 
were they now talking about ? He advanced nearer to 
them and listened. De Lozeril and Brichet were seated 
one on each side of the table, the chevalier’s back 
being turned to Fouquier, while his father-in-law 
faced him. The procureur was pale and his eyes glared 
with a strange, wild look that Annibal had never 
before witnessed on his usually rather stupid counte- 
nance. “Can it be the wig that so changes him?” 
thought Annibal, and as he came within earshot he 
heard De Lozeril say : 

“ We shall burn this document, then ? That is 
agreed ?” 

“ Burn it,” answered Brichet, curtly, and the chevalier 
held a corner of the paper to the flame of a candle on 
the table. Another moment and it was in ashes, and 
then De Lozeril remarked in a mocking tone : 

“ There ! Now that beast Annibal’s little game is 
played out.” 


Mystery of hotel brichet. 


257 


“ Oh, oh ! It seems my dear friend is interesting 
himself in my concerns . Very well, my boy, we shall 
see about that,” said the captain to himself, nervously 
fingering his rapier, and now he heard De Lozeril 
exclaim with mingled triumph and cupidity : 

“ Now let us share !” whereon Brichet replied, hoarse 
with suppressed anger and impotent rage : 

“ Yes, let us share !” 

“ A division of the spoil,” thought the captain. 
“ Now is the moment for me to introduce myself.” 

And he advanced toward the table. 




CHAPTER XXIII. 

Before proceeding with our story we must briefly 
explain the events preceding the scene described in 
our last chapter. De Lozeril, on seeing Annibal come 
upstair again from his visit to Brichet, thus revealing 
to him the existence of the secret door, resolved to 
avail himself of the discovery and to descend at once 
to Brichet’s apartments. So hastily piling up the 
cushions and covering them with the cloak, he lost no 
time in setting out on his expedition. His daring 
spirit scented an adventure and, since the confidence 
made to him by Colard, the thought of the immense i 
treasure carried about by Brichet haunted him day 
and night. This treasure consisted partly of Pauline’s 
dot. De Lozeril cared very little about Pauline, but 
he cared a great deal about Pauline’s dot. Nay, he 
had determined it should be his by fair means or foul. , 
“ Let Brichet be off as soon as he likes,” was his one 
absorbing thought ; “ but he sha’ n’t go before he leaves 
me Pauline’s money.” 

“ He is going to bed,” Annibal had thought as he ! 
watched Brichet removing his stockings. “ He is 
getting up,” said De Lozeril, on taking the captain’s 
place to spy on the procurenr. For Brichet, whom 
[258] 



MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


259 


Annibal had seen almost entirely undressed, was now 
discovered by the chevalier busily making his toilet. 
“What is he putting on ?” thought the young man as 
he watched the procureur take from the bottom of a 
cupboard one garment after another, garments so un- 
like his usual grave attire that the young man could 
scarcely repress an exclamation. Brichet completed 
his toilet and, looking at himself in the glass, mur- 
mured, in a low tone : 

“There. Like old times. It’s a long time since I 
saw myself in this costume !” 

“ I suppose these are the clothes he went off in be- 
fore,” thought De Lozeril, in explanation of Brichet’s 
soliloquy. 

“ I ’m not an ounce fatter,” continued the procureur, 
clasping his waistband. “ The life of luxury has not 
done me much good,” and, turning once more to the 
cupboard : “ Now for the vest.” Taking it out, two 
heavy objects fell from the pockets. “Ah, to be sure ! 
Piff2on& Paff ! I had left them in my pockets,” said 
the procureur , stooping and picking up two pistols. 

“ For a lawyer, he seems to know pretty well how 
to handle fire-arms,” remarked the chevalier, on see- 
ing Brichet snap the triggers with a practiced hand. 

And a great sigh broke from him as he laid them 
on the table, saying, regretfully : 

“Ah, my faithful friends ! Our good old times are 
past and gone.” 

“ I wonder if he negotiated with his clients, pistol in 
hand, in his good old times,” thought the young man, 
with increasing amazement. 

At last Brichet had completed his toilet. 

“ Now for serious affairs,” he cried gayly, and going 
to a heavy iron box he drew out a large, bulky pocket- 
book. 


260 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ The millions !” thought the chevalier. “ Serious 
affairs, indeed !” and with difficulty he restrained a 
cry of ecstasy at sight of the treasure. “ But what the 
devil has taken him now ?” he exclaimed to himself 
quickly, as Brichet, with glistening eyes, his fingers 
clasping the morocco, kissed and hugged the pocket- 
book in a perfect frenzy of delight, uttering the while 
little inarticulate shrieks of joy. He seemed to have 
suddenly gone mad, lavished on the pocketbook the 
most endearing names, holding it to his breast and 
rocking it to and fro as if it were an infant. “ Faith, 
he seems preciously fond of his little pile. I shall have 
some trouble in getting him to part with the dot,” 
thought De Lozeril, amazed at so much enthusiasm. 
By degrees the procurenr became calm, and remarking : 

“ Let’s put the baby in a safe place,” he laid the 
treasure on his bosom and proceeded to rebutton his 
vest, the bulky pocketbook making considerable dif- 
ference in the outline of his figure. Brichet caught 
sight of himself in a looking-glass and burst out laugh- 
ing. “ And I was saying a few minutes ago that I was 
not an ounce fatter,” and he laughed again. Then 
taking one last look round the room, he walked toward 
the door, but returning with a hurried exclamation, 

“ Ah, I had almost forgotten Piff and Paff,” the pro- - 
cureur found himself face to face with De Lozeril, who, r 
barring the way, asked him in a tone of mockery : 

“ Where were you going, Monsieur Brichet, and 
without a word of farewell to your future son-in-law, 
in the dead of night, and ill, too, for you seem to be f 
terribly swollen,” and De Lozeril made a thrust with 
his finger at Brichet’s breast, just where the treasure 
lay. Brichet became deadly pale, his limbs trembled 
under him, and in a voice sick and faint with terror he 
gasped out ; 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


261 


“ We ’ll go halves — hold your tongue !” 

But at the sound of his own voice Brichet’s panic 
seemed to vanish, and the words had no sooner left his 
lips than he suddenly roused himself and, still staring 
wildly at the chevalier, he stammered : 

“ De Lozeril, is that you ?” 

Shaking with fright, Brichet appeared like a man 
awakened suddenly from a horrid dream. As he sur- 
veyed himself and his costume with seeming amaze- 
ment, the thought occurred vividly to De Lozeril that 
the whole scene had been enacted by a somnambulist. 
As if to confirm his suspicion, Brichet gazed vacantly 
around the room, murmuring to himself : 

“ How am I in this salon dressed in these clothes, 
when I went to sleep in my arm-chair, with my dress- 
ing-gown on ?” 

The chevalier listened. 

“ I was right,” he said. “ He was 'walking in his 
sleep, and now remembers nothing,” but at that 
moment a look shot from Brichet’s eyes toward his 
pistols, lying on the table before which De Lozeril 
stood. 

“Oh, ho, my friend,” he thought, “it seems you 
do remember something. I have not the slightest 
doubt now that you remember all the rest. You have 
been trying to dupe me with your pretended somnam- 
bulism,” and the chevalier was once more on his 
guard. 

Then, with the air of a man half awake, the pro- 
cureur staggered forward a few paces, as if at random, 
but in the direction of his pistols. 

De Lozeril saw the move, and checkmated it by 
going hastily toward him and saying, in the most 
affectionate manner : 

“ Allow me to support you, dear Monsieur Brichet ; 


262 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


you really seem so very weak and ill,” and passing his 
arm under Brichet’s so as to hold him securely in case 
of resistance, he led the procureur gently away from 
the table, taking him to an arm-chair, into which he 
dropped sullenly. 

“ There now, calm yourself my good friend, while I 
fetch you a glass of water,” said the chevalier, in his 
most amiable accents, moving quickly to the table, 
whereon, side by side with the pistols was a carafe 
of water and a glass. 

“ Hello, pistols !” he cried, astonished, as if he had 
just perceived them. 

A savage light sparkled in Brichet’s eyes as the 
young man took them in his hands. 

“ Good work, excellent steel and a capital spring,” 
said De Lozeril, who quietly opened the chambers and 
allowed the balls to drop out. 

The procureur could not altogether stifle a cry of im- 
potent rage on seeing the chevalier replace the now 
useless weapons on the table. 

“ Ah,” cried De Lozeril, “ you are ill. Dear friend, I 
beg a thousand pardons. Excuse my forgetfulness ; 
instead of amusing myself with these fire-arms I 
ought to have fetched you the glass of water you 
wanted.” The young man took the carafe in his hand. 
“Bah !” he cried. “Cold water is wretched stuff, and 
without being much of a doctor, let me rather recom- 
mend a glass of that excellent Kirsch. I see a whole 
bottle standing on that sideboard.” So saying he filled 
the glass to the brim and piesented it to the old man. 

But the procureur shook his head. 

“ What, you won’t take it ?. My dear Monsieur Brichet, 
indeed you are wrong, for nothing is better than a 
good glass of Kirsch for calming violent emotion. If 
I were dead I feel certain a few sips of this would 


MYSTERY OF’ HOTEL BRICHET. 


263 


bring me to life again,” and while speaking De Lozeril 
placed the glass on the edge of the table. 

The shock seemed to have seriously affected Brichet, 
for he sat there in the arm-chair, staring vacantly be- 
fore him as if he had been petrified. At last he asked, 
in a dazed manner : 

“ Why did you leave the supper ?” 

“ For your sake, my good friend. I felt certain that 
the noise we made must prevent your sleeping ; so I 
came down to keep you company.” 

After a momentary hesitation Brichet continued : 

“ But how did you get in here when I had locked and 
bolted the door?” 

“ How did I get in ? Come, just think a moment. . 
Stir up your memory.” 

Brichet stared at him in blank surprise. 

“ My memory ?” he repeated mechanically. 

“ Yes, try to remember something very agreeable. 
Go back to the time when as a devoted husband you 
used to go and wish Madame Brichet good-night. You 
understand now, don’t you, eh ?” 

“Yes, yes, yes,” repeated Brichet, as if suddenly 
recalling some memory. 

“ I tell you frankly,” continued the chevalier, “ it 
was Annibal himself who put me up to the secret of the 
stairway between your room and his.” 

“What ! There’s a stairway !” cried the procitreur, 
starting up convulsively in his chair, “ and the captain 
can come down to my room whenever he likes ?” 

“ But my dear friend,” replied the chevalier, “let us 
understand each other. You seem as if I was talking 
to you of something supernatural, but a little while 
ago you said you remembered the secret passage per- 
fectly.” 

On this observation Brichet closed his eyes and 


264 


MYSTERY OP HOTEL BRICHET. 


leaned back in his chair as if to gain time. Then 
seeming to recover himself, he said with a sad smile : 

“You must excuse me, but since my illness my 
memory sometimes fails me, and often the things with 
which I am most familiar seem to escape me altogether. 
I tell you candidly, there are moments when I really 
think I am out of my mind.” 

“ You not only think it, but you really are mad — mad 
as a hatter, my friend!” thought the chevalier, and 
after a moment’s silence the procurcur continued : 

“ And Annibal, is he coming down here, too ?” 

“ No, no, keep your mind easy. I ’ve made a nice 
little arrangement to prevent him from troubling us,” 
and the chevalier smiled with satisfaction at the thought 
of his rapier sticking fast in the secret spring. Taking 
up the glass of Kirsch he again presented it to the 
procureur. “ Come, drink this,” he said. “ It will clear 
your head and refresh your memory ; for now I have 
something to say about this memory of yours. You 
remember that I asked for your daughter’s hand through 
Madame de Brageron ?” 

“ Perfectly, and I accepted you at once.” 

“ And with your daughter’s hand I was to receive a 
dot of two millions. Do you remember that ?” 

“ Certainly.” 

And now laying aside his former gay and charming 
manner, De Lozeril assumed a threatening tone toward 
the defenseless old man, as he continued : 

“ After promising me your daughter and her money, 
will you, if you please, state your reasons for delaying 
the fulfillment of the arrangement ? Why, when I 
have reminded you of the engagement, have you put 
me off with a parcel of empty excuses, making me a 
laughing stock to all my friends ?” 

Alone, in the dead of night, with a man whom he 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


265 


had been warned by his best friends was capable of 
any desperate deed, the procureur trembled as the 
chevalier accentuated his last words with a terribly 
menacing- tone. 

“ What do you want to do ?” gasped the old man. 

“ By Jove, I can easily answer that question. I 
want your daughter and her money ,” replied the 
chevalier, coolly. 

On this Brichet, who had firmly believed that De 
Lozeril was about to murder him, heaved a thankful 
sigh of relief as he answered promptly : 

“ Before the end of this week Pauline shall be your 
'wife, and I will pay you over her dot. I give you my 
word. I am ready to sign a contract to that effect at 
once.” 

But the young man again shook his head and re- 
torted : 

“Yes, a contract is a very good thing, but it won’t 
do for me.” 

“ Why not ? What do you mean ?” demanded Brichet. 

“ I mean that a contract is only good so long as the 
contracting parties are there to carry it out.” 

“ Am I not here, and am I not an honest man ?” cried 
the insulted procurers. 

“ Very possibly, my good sir, but unfortunately you 
are something besides an honest man !” replied De 
Lozeril, looking him in the face. 

“ What am I, then ?” 

“ My dear sir, you are a somnambulist.” 

As this answer drawled out with the most insolent 
flippancy, a shudder convulsed the old man’s frame, 
and despite himself he looked toward the pistols, but 
at the recollection that they were unloaded and there- 
fore useless, an expression of rage distorted his feat- 
ures. De Lozeril was almost frightened at the horrible 


266 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


expression of Brichet’s countenance, now revealed to 
him for the first time, but without losing an atom of 
his sang-froid , he continued, pointing with his finger to 
the glass : 

“ Drink, I tell you. There is nothing like Kirsch to 
rouse a man.” 

But the old man again turned a deaf ear to the in- 
vitation. 

“ Well, since you won’t drink,” pursued the chevalier, 
“ I shall now go on. You offer me a written contract, 
and I would willingly accept it, my dear Brichet, but 
for your little infirmity of sleep-walking. What should 
I do with the written promise of a man who might get 
up some fine night, dress himself and quietly decamp 
the Lord knows where, and awake to find himself so 
far — so very far — from here that he would think it 
useless ever to come back again.” 

Only by an intense effort had the procnreur been 
able to control the fury that blazed within him as he 
listened to the chevalier’s mockery, and as the latter 
ceased to speak Brichet threw himself back in his 
chair with a boisterous laugh, in which there was but 
little merriment : 

“ Where, my dear chevalier, did you get hold of the 
absurd idea that I walk in my sleep,” he asked. 

De Lozeril was not to be duped by his fictitious 
gayety. 

“Ah, you think you are going to trick me. Wait a 
little, my friend,” he said to himself, and then con- 
tinued aloud : “What, then, you don’t walk in your 
sleep ! So much the better a thousand times, for I assure 
you I was seriously alarmed. But just tell me why, in the 
dead of night — in that dress, the very opposite of your 
usual costume, booted and spurred — you were going out 
in company with Piff and Paff carefully loaded ?” 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


26 ? 


Brichet followed the chevalier’s words with the 
deepest anxiety, but finding he made no mention of 
the pocket-book, he appeared now at his ease, and 
answered dryly : 

“ Am I not my own master ? Can I not do as I 
please without giving an account to any one ?” 

“Faith, that s very well answered,” cried the cheva- 
lier, with fine sarcasm. “ I really thought you were 
going to tell me you were on your way to the notary, 
booted and spurred and pistol in hand, to give him 
back — hum ! — what you’ve got in there, you know,” 
and De Lozeril once more made a thrust with his finger 
at Brichet’s breast. 

The old man drew himself back, quickly, to avoid 
the chevalier’s touch, and the latter burst into a peal 
of mocking laughter. 

“Ah, ha !” he cried. “It seems you are rather tick- 
lish in that direction, for the first time I attempted to 
lay a finger on you it had such a very startling effect 
that you made me a most agreeable proposal, on the 
spot. Do you remember what you said, eh ?” 

Brichet was silent. 

“Ah, true,” pursued De Lozeril, “I forgot you said 
your memory often played you false. Well, I can 
help you. When I attempted to put my finger on your 
breast (by the way, I suppose it is rather sensitive, as 
it is tremendously swollen), I remember that you cried 
out : ‘ Halves.’ Now do you remember ?” 

But the procureur remained mute as a fish. 

“Come, speak, worthy old man. I want to hear 
you confirm those delicious words,” persisted De 
Lozeril. 

“ I remember nothing,” stammered the procureur , 
with a painful effort. 

“ What, are you ill, my poor Brichet ? I am sure 


268 


MYSTERY OE HOTEL BRICHET. 


you are suffocating in that tight belt of yours. Open 
it, my friend ; make yourself easy. Come, allow me to 
unbutton it for you,” and seeing the young man rise 
and make a movement toward him, Brichet crossed 
his arms on his breast and gasped : 

“ I confess, I confess.” 

“ What do you confess, dear friend ?” asked De 
Lozeril, calmly, in his sweetest tones. 

“ I confess that I am a somnambulist.” 

“ Ah, poor old man ! See how this avowal has upset 
you. Come, now, drink this Kirsch and arouse your- 
self.” But again M. Brichet refused the proffered 
glass and the audacious chevalier continued : “ Then, 
since you confess to walking in your sleep, I must re- 
turn to our starting-point and repeat that I can have 
no faith in the promise, spoken or written, of a father- 
in-law, who on any fine night might disappear. Yes, 
my dear sir, you are doubtless an honest man, anxious 
to keep your word, but as your infirmity might cause 
you to fail in your endeavors, I have thought of a 
simple plan by which the difficulty might be overcome. 
You agreed to sign an engagement giving me Pauline 
for my wife, did you not ?” 

“ Yes.” 

“ With a splendid dot ?” 

“ Yes,” faltered the old man. 

“ Well, now, let us reverse the order of things. It is 
I who will give you a promise to marry the girl after 
having received her dot in advance.” 

Brichet started with surprise. 

“ What,” he cried, “ the dot before the marriage !” 

“ By this means, you see, I shall secure myself against 
a fit of sleep-walking which might carry my dot to the 
devil. Isn’t that a simple plan, eh ?” and De Lozeril, 
holding out his hands to Brichet, added in his most 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


2G9 


bewitching- manner : “ Now, dear father-in-law, accept 
my proposal graciously and pay up.” 

But stupefaction at this audacity had rendered 
Brichet motionless. 

“ Oh, my dear friend, do you know that you really 
wound my susceptibilities ? One would think that you 
doubted my promise to marry Pauline after receiving 
her dot" said the chevalier in a tone of gentle reproach. 
His insolence seemed at length to rouse the old man 
and untie his tongue, for he exclaimed with energy : 

“ Never !” 

“Is that your last word ?” asked De Lozeril with 
menace. 

“ Never !” reiterated Brichet. 

Pale with rage, De Lozeril drew a chair to the table, 
and sitting down, faced the old man resolutely, looking 
him straight in the eyes. Then in a cruelly cutting 
voice he said : 

“ Listen to me, old man. Let us leave off all this 
humbug about somnambulism and speak to each other 
clearly. I caught you flying from this house with an 
immense sum of money concealed beneath your vest. 
Do not attempt to deny it. These millions, are 
they yours ? If so why are you carrying them 
off secretly ? I cannot tell, but one thing I know 
— that your flight conceals some infamy, and above 
all some mysterious danger which must be threat- 
ening you and from which you would seek to 
save yourself. The surest proof of my assertion is 
that there you are trembling before me, not daring to 
call for help. And why ? Because the peril that 
threatens you from without is more terrible than the 
danger you now face at my hands.” 

Brichet shook his head. 

“ Do not deny it. When I stopped you at first you 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRiCHEf. 


m 


were half dead with guilty terror, and the consequence 
of your flight being known must be something fatal to 
you, as you tried to avert it by these words, ‘ We T1 go 
halves !’ You pass yourself off as a sort of lunatic, 
whereas I have studied you and I know what you are — 
false, cunning, crafty, hypocritically clever.” 

Brichet tried to interrupt him, but he proceeded : 

“ Hold your tongue. You pretend to be an easy, 
good-natured fellow. False again — for twice the 
expression of your face has betrayed you, and I know 
you for what you are — coldly, desperately resolute, 
capable of anything, even murder, and if I had not 
taken the precaution to unload your pistols, I should 
not be here alive at this moment.” Then pointing to 
Brichet’s costume, he continued : “ These clothes, so 
foreign to your profession, you are perfectly accus- 
tomed to, you have been in the habit of wearing, and 
I watched you in your boots and spurs. You are well 
used to them, and Heaven knows they would be em- 
barrassing enough to an ordinary man of the law 
accustomed to his flat-heeled shoes ! As for your pis- 
tols, you manage them with a well-practiced hand ; 
in short, are you the person you pretend to be ? I 
cannot tell. I do not know ; but what I do know is 
that you are a knave ! So am I. Now, between two 
knaves there cannot be any misunderstanding ; so, 
now, listen to me. This ‘ half ’ that you offered me I 
accept. I must and will have it.” M. Brichet trembled, 
and De Lozeril went on resolutely : “ Yes, have it I 

shall. Whoever you may really be, the world knows 
you and accepts you as the Procureur Brichet, and 
the whole town knows that I am to be your son-in-law. 
You have seven millions.. I must have the half. You 
will give me a declaration in writing that you have 
handed me this money as your daughter’s dot , so 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


271 


that I may account for the possession of it, and enjoy 
it in peace. This proof of your confidence in me. prior 
to the marriage, will be received with astonishment, 
but every one believes you to be half mad, and once I 
have the money in my pocket I will marry Pauline as 
soon as you can prevail on her to consent. Now, you 
may speak !” and, folding his arms and leaning back in 
his chair, the chevalier waited. 

With pale lips and a trembling heart, Brichet de- 
manded : 

“ And what if I refuse ?” 

“ Then I will strangle you and hang your body to 
one of those beams. Your reputation for insanity will 
cause it to be believed that you have committed sui- 
cide.” • The young man’s tone was not to be mistaken, 
and Brichet understood the reality of his menace and 
appeared to submit. 

“ If I accept ?” he asked. 

The chevalier once more leaned across the table, 
and, looking steadily at Brichet, said slowly : 

“ If you accept I will assist you in your flight from 
this house.” 

An unspeakable joy lighted up the face of Brichet 
on this assurance, and his heart beat so wildly as 
almost to choke him. He could only give utterance 
to a single word : 

“ Truly.” 

“ Ah, see now what a scoundrel you are !” cried De 
Lozeril, in a fit of laughter at the old man’s emotion. 

“ It was only a trap, then ?” gasped Brichet again, in 
terror. 

“ No, no, between scoundrels like us two there is no 
deception. ‘ Honor among thieves,’ you know, old 
boy ! There are still two hours of darkness before 
you. We ’ll go halves, and then you can be off.” 


272 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


The old man quickly unbuttoned his vest, drew out 
the pocketbook, and throwing it on the table, growled : 

“ Better take half the money than be strangled.” 

South Sea shares, bonds of the East India Company, 
bank bills, Canadian debentures and all kinds of secur- 
ities then at a premium, fell from the pocketbook, 
which flew open as Brichet violently flung it down. 
From these papers De Lozeril selected one of quite 
another kind. 

“ What is this ?” he asked. 

“ When Monsieur Bandinau gave me back all the 
money, he also brought me my will executed in 
Aurore’s favor,” replied Brichet. 

“ What ! Annibal’s daughter ? And do you intend 
it to hold good, father-in-law ?” asked the chevalier. 

A burst of laughter was Brichet’s answer, and he 
added : 

“ Intend it to hold good ! You can do what you like 
with it.” 

“ Then we shall burn it,” said De Lozeril. 

“ Burn it,” echoed the procureur , and at this moment, 
as we have said, Annibal arrived close to the two men, 
his rapier in his hand. He had come just in time to 
witness the burning of the document, and this done, 
the chevalier exclaimed greedily : 

“ Now for my half !” 

Their two heads were bent eagerly over the treasure 
when an immense hand suddenly appeared, and the 
valuable documents on the table were seized in a firm 
grasp, while at the same time a voice said : 

“ Do } T ou forget your friends when you go * halves V ” 

Annibal’s sudden apparition affected the two men 
very differently. For De Lozeril he was a formidable 
enemy ; for Brichet he was salvation in the hour of 
peril. It is true that Brichet, in invoking the captain’s 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


273 


protection, was like a man throwing himself into the 
water to escape the flames. To avoid being roasted to 
death he runs the risk of being drowned. But Brichet 
had no time to pause and reflect what the timely aid 
of the captain might ultimately cost him ; all he 
thought of was his present deliverence from a man 
who was certain either to rob him of half his fortune 
or to strangle him. So with a wild cry of joy he sprang 
to his feet exclaiming : 

“ Ah, my good Fouquier, protect me from this wretch 
who wishes to rob us /” The us was cleverly calcu- 
lated,* for it included Annibal, but he answered with a 
sneer : 

“ Oh, don’t be afraid, friend Brichet, the chevalier 
and I are going to have a little conversation, and when 
it is over I don’t think he will trouble you much more.” 

De Lozeril was unarmed, and one glance at the 
captain’s giant frame told him how hopeless would be 
a hand-to-hand struggle between them. Letting the 
papers, which he still grasped, fall back on the table, 
Annibal said to the old man : 

“ Put these all back in your pocket-book while this 
gentleman and I converse about the expediency of 
snatching other people’s chestnuts, and, turning to De 
Lozeril he continued, with a sneer : “ I warned you 
they would burn your fingers.” 

The chevalier was a gambler to the tips of his nails. 
He was playing a game for very high stakes and he 
saw that game almost lost. But, like a fine player, he 
was ready to pay, and to pay with a smile on his lips. 
Throwing himself on a sofa, he looked his enemy in 
the face and said, with a laugh : 

“ Well, Fouquier, don’t you think these same chest- 
nuts might burn your fingers too, though they are a 
good deal less delicate than mine ?** 


274 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ Are you speaking of my dear little hand, young 
man ?” asked Annibal, calmly, spreading out his paw 
that looked like a shoulder of mutton. 

“ Damn it, captain, in this question of chestnuts it 
seems to me we are on pretty equal terms, and does 
it not occur to you that in coming to blows with me 
you would run as much risk as I do ?” 

The captain screwed up his mouth and assumed an 
air of extreme modesty. 

“ I am fond of running risks,” he said, “ and life is 
so short, my friend, that one should never postpone a 
pleasure till to-morrow.” 

“ Come along, then, be it so,” answered De Lozeril, 
rising with alacrity from the sofa. 

“ Bravo !” cried the delighted captain, “ no need to 
drag you along by the ear,” and hastily crossing the 
salon , he made straight for the door, and hurriedly 
unlocking it, he was just about to pass out, when he 
was arrested by an exclamation from the chevalier. 

“ Where are you going to take me, captain ?” 

“We shall be quite undisturbed out on the Quai de 
Bethune,” said Annibal, turning back. 

“ But it is pitch-dark.” 

“ Well, what if it is ? We ’re not going to thread a 
needle, and it is light enough to see a man at the point 
of one’s sword.” 

“ But I must at least have my sword, and I left it up 
in your room. I took it off when I sat down to sup- 
per,” replied De Lozeril. 

‘‘True, then let us go up,” said Annibal, walking 
straight toward the secret staircase, followed by the 
chevalier. 

He had just set his foot on the first step when De 
Lozeril tapped him on the shoulder and whispered ; 

“ One word in our common interest.” 


MYSTERY OF HOtEL RRtCHET. 


m 


“ Go on,” said the captain, puzzled. 

“You and I are going- to try to cut each other’s 
throats for the possession of Brichet’s millions, are we 
not?” 

“ Certainly.” 

“ And should one of us be killed the other will have 
his hands free to seize on the fortune of the pro- 
cureur f” 

“ Of course.” 

“ Well, I think that it would be just as well not to 
leave Brichet behind us alone in this room, for the 
survivor will run a serious risk of finding the old man 
fled with all his millions. Believe me, Fouquier, I have 
good reason to be certain of this.” 

The captain was speechless with perplexity, and the 
two men stood there, silent and motionless in the semi- 
darkness. The eyes of both turned instinctively 
toward Brichet, who was busily employed locking up 
his treasure in the strong-box. Brichet had shown 
the utmost indifference during the foregoing scene, 
avarice having rendered him deaf and blind to his 
surroundings. He had been so eagerly counting and 
recounting his bonds and shares before returning them 
to the pocketbook, that one would have imagined he had 
totally forgotten the presence of the two adversaries. 

“ I have an idea,” cried Annibal after a pause. “ Let 
us go up to my room to fight and take him with us. 
The one who survives can come back here with him 
and do what he likes with the old idiot.” 

“ Agreed!” cried De Lozeril, and Annibal approached 
Brichet, saying with a smile : 

“ My dear son-in-law, you have been so very kind in 
allowing me to receive a few friends this evening that 
I am anxious to give you a little pleasure in re- 
turn.” 


276 MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHETl 

“ Oh, I ’m past the age for pleasure,” responded 
Brichet with a sigh. 

“ Nonsense ! Come along, one can only live once, and 
gayety is good for the health. You are eaten up by 
melancholy, my dear fellow, because you never amuse 
yourself, and now I am going to give you the funniest 
amusement possible to imagine.” 

Brichet, extremely doubtful as to Annibal’s inten- 
tions, replied uneasily : 

“ But what is this amusement ?” 

“You will come upstairs with us and see us cut each 
other’s throat.” 

“ Oh !” cried Brichet, starting back with fright. 

“ Come, now, I see you are dying to accept, only you 
pretend to be shy and want a little persuasion. All 
right. I will follow your little whim and use gentle 
force as if you were a young lady,” and the captain 
without more ado put his arm round Brichet’s waist, 
and lifted him in the air as deftly as if he were a 
feather. On feeling himself in the giant’s powerful 
grasp, the procureur's face assumed an expression of 
blank despair, but seeing how futile it would be to 
struggle he submitted with as good a grace as he 
could. Annibal walked to the secret stair and depos- 
ited him on the first step. “ There,” he said, “ now 
you follow De Lozeril and I will bring up the rear.” 
And thus secured between the two men, Brichet as- 
cended without saying a word. Arrived in his cham- 
ber, Fouquier conducted the old man to an arm-chair 
placed in a corner and pushed him into his seat, pale 
and trembling in every limb. Aided by De Lozeril, 
the captain arranged the room for the combat. He 
passed into the supper-room to fetch the lighted can- 
dles from the table. The four “kind friends” were 
still lying on the floor, snoring lustily. “The sots !” 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


m 


said Annibal, in disgust, pushing them one after 
another with his foot, and returning to his bedroom he 
left the door open, saying : “ If one of them wakes up 
he can see the fun without the trouble of rising.” 
Then suddenly, as if moved by some good impulse, he 
said : “ Look here, De Lozeril, listen to me : I give 

you a last chance. Give up your pretensions and get 
out of the hotel.” 

But the chevalier was too near the acquisition of the 
longed-for millions to throw up the game now, and he 
only replied : 

“ On guard, captain.” 

“Very well, my dear fellow, since you will have it 
so,” said the captain, coolly raising his sword. 

At the first contact of the two weapons a smile ap- 
peared on Brichet’s lips, and he ceased to tremble. 
At the same moment one of the guests suddenly raised 
his heavy head. 

“ Blest if they ’re not fighting !” he hiccoughed. 
He would have followed the combat with his eyes, but 
overcome with sleep, he sank back again, without hav- 
ing observed Brichet, who was invisible from where 
he lay. 

Meanwhile, something was happening downstairs. 
Colard, who was still on guard before his master’s 
door, had heard the noise made by Annibal in turning 
the key and pushing aside the bolts. Then a dead 
silence and no one passed out. 

“What can be going on in there?” asked Colard, 
anxiously. And, opening the door with great precau- 
tion, he entered the salon. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

Knowing this was indeed to be a death-struggle, each 
antagonist settled to his work with systematic sang 
froid , bringing all their available science to bear on 
the arduous task of “cutting each other’s throats,” as 
Annibal had so airily expressed it. Firmly set, and 
as tranquil as if he were at dinner, the captain stood, 
a tower of strength, watching earnestly to take advan- 
tage of the slightest flaw in the chevalier’s tactics ; 
while De Lozeril, profiting by the experience of three 
months ago, moderated the vivacity of his mode of 
attack and husbanded his strength. 

All was hushed in the great house. 

“ Oh, ho, chevalier, I see you have been mixing water 
with your wine !” cried the captain, quick to appreciate 
the wise moderation of De Lozeril’s style, formerly so 
furious. 

“ I have profited much by your lessons,” replied the 
young man, and byway of emphasis he treated the giant 
to one of the thrusts learned from him in their pre- 
ceding encounter. 

“ Very well done, very well, indeed !”pronounced the 
[278] 



MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


279 


captain in the quiet tone of a master encouraging his 
pupil. “ But oh, my poor De Lozeril, what a pity if is 
that you will persist in this madness of yours and force 
me to finish you ! Except for that, we should have 
been such good friends, and I would have made you a 
perfect swordsman.” 

“ How can I help it, my dear Annibal, I have the 
misfortune of being obstinate,” replied the young man, 
making another thrust. 

Fouquier parried, and his sword, striking the cheva- 
lier’s obliquely, whirled it from his grasp and it fell 
at the captain’s feet. Annibal placed his foot on the 
weapon, and thus holding it said to his disarmed 
enemy : 

“ Come, you are a brave fellow, and before restoring 
your sword, I wish to ‘give you one more chance for 
your life. Will you give way to me, or not ?” 

But the golden mirage of Brichet’s millions rendered 
De Lozeril blind to the warnings of fate and deaf to 
the voice of reason. He shook his head, persistent in 
his resolve to continue the terribly unequal struggle. 
The captain raised his foot, releasing the sword, and 
with a shrug said, in a pitying tone : 

“ Come on, obstinate fellow. I see I must kill you 
in order to teach you common sense. Now for it.” 

At the outset Brichet had remained quietly in his 
chair, but as the combat advanced he had risen as if 
fascinated by the clashing of the naked weapons, and 
drawing nearer and nearer, now watched the fight with 
absorbing eagerness. Singular revelation, that this 
man, whose character, pursuits and profession ought to 
have made him essentially a man of peace, seemed 
perfectly conversant with every move in the terrible 
game. At every thrust and parry, following each 
other in fearfully rapid succession, he had testified his 


280 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


ardent approval or his dissatisfaction by the most elo- 
quent gestures, while his whole frame seemed con- 
sumed with impatience at his enforced inactivity, 
during a scene apparently so full of fascination for 
him. When De Lozeril had been disarmed Brichet 
had remarked contemptuously, “No match for the 
other!” and a frown had gathered on his brow when the 
captain had once more offered him his life, but on 
the chevalier’s refusal of the concession, the smile re- 
turned to his lips, and he cried : 

“ Play out the game !” 

De Lozeril now seemed to forget his former 
prudence which had prompted him to avoid a useless 
waste of strength. 

“ Ah, now you are going back to your first style, 
chevalier,” sneered the captain, who in response to all 
the aggressive bounds of De Lozeril to right and to 
left, stood still, merely pivoting on his heel. By thus 
changing from place to place, it happened at last that 
De Lozeril found himself directly in front of Brichet, 
who held himself flat against the wall. The chevalier 
felt his strength giving way, his arm was heavy, and 
the blood surged to his temples, which seemed about 
to burst. A moment more and he would no longer be 
able to defend himself. Death stared him in the face. 
But now at his back, very low but distinct for him 
alone, the voice of Brichet whispered swiftly : 

“ I will help you to kill the captain and you will help 
me to get off with my money. If you accept, work 
round to the right and bring Annibal in front of me.” 

The last word was hardly spoken when De Lozeril 
sprang to the right. 

“ What the deuce are you up to now, making me 
spin round like a top,” said Annibal, changing place 
according to his adversary’s movements, and thus the 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


281 


two men reversed their positions and it was now 
Fouquier whose back almost touched Brichet. At the 
captain’s right De Lozeril beheld the pale face of 
Brichet signing eagerly to him to run his adversary 
through. The chevalier, gathering all his remaining 
strength, made a tremendous thrust in the direction of 
his heart. Annibal saw the coming blow, and would 
have raised his sword to parry it, but at that moment 
his right arm was caught as in a vise and held by 
Brichet’s two hands, and the chevalier’s steel was 
buried in his breast. 

“Good God !” groaned Annibal. He could say no 
more, for a flow of blood stopped his utterance. Com- 
pressing his frightful wound with desperate energy, 
Annibal turned quickly round, hoping still to revenge 
himself on the cowardly traitor who had thus delivered 
him to his enemy ; but Brichet had fled for safety to 
the other end of the room. The captain, feeling him- 
self lost, summoned together his fast-failing strength, 
and inspired with a wild desire for vengeance, stag- 
gered toward the corner where crouched the terrified 
frocureur , but he had scarcely taken a step when his 
limbs gave way, and he fell heavily to the ground. 
Even then he tried to drag himself toward the culprit, 
but, overcome by weakness, he sank helpless in his 
agony. But still, in this heart, that was gradually 
ceasing to beat, burned the one pure sentiment which 
a life of infamy had never been able to quench — love 
for his daughter — and he murmured gently : “Adieu, 
my dear little girl.” And with a last dying effort 
wafted a kiss to the only being he had ever loved. 

Terrified at the murder he had just committed, De 
Lozeril seemed deprived of his senses, but he was re- 
called to himself on hearing Brichet say : “ He is 

dead.” Despite his villainy, the chevalier’s very soul 


282 MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHfiT. 

revolted at the horrible tragedy, and he longed to es- 
cape from the scene and from the wretch who had 
aided him. 

“Come, you villain !” he cried, in feverish trepida- 
tion. “ Give me my share of the money and then be 
off !” 

But the crafty Brichet had imperceptibly glided 
toward the secret door, where he now stationed him- 
self, sword in hand. 

“ Your share, indeed !” he cried, with an evil smile. 

The young man shuddered as he looked at him, for 
instead of the good-natured, placid countenance of the 
procureur , he beheld once more a face transformed to 
the semblance of some wild animal, so fierce, so cruel, 
so hideous was its expression ! 

“ And do you know why I helped you to put the 
captain out of the way ? It was only because I was 
obliged to kill one of you that I might be sole pos- 
sessor of my fortune. As soon as I saw you fighting I 
understood at once that you were the weaker, and that 
having got rid of Fouquier, I could easily manage you. 
For the last two hours you have kept me without arms, 
and I have been obliged to submit, but now I have a 
weapon, and I will show you that I know how to use 
it !” 

“Put down that sword, old man, you are mad.!” 
cried the chevalier, and he tried to force his way past 
him, but Brichet, presenting the point of the sword to 
his face, said quietly : 

“You shall fight, my fine friend, unless you want me 
to kill you like a dog !” 

“ Let me pass !” insisted the chevalier, with rising 
anger, and he advanced a step or two. 

Brichet, with the sword which he still held extended, 
gave him a cut on the cheek, drawing the blood. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


283 


“ There ! Take that for a first warning,” said the 
procureur , coolly. 

The young man did not wait for a second. Blind 
with fury, he sprang backward, to give himself a fair 
field with his enemy, and drawing his sword, met the 
blade of the procureur' s. At his first onslaught the 
chevalier was endowed with the superhuman strength 
of violent anger, but it very soon came home to him 
that the preceding encounter had greatly weakened 
his forces, and although Brichet had not the strength 
of Annibal, still he found him a most formidable ad- 
versary. Brichet showed a vigor and an agility abso- 
lutely incredible, as he stood facing his enemy, well 
set up, his eye bright, his head steady — a master of the 
art. 

“ This man has handled the foils for years,” thought 
De Lozeril, alarmed at his proficiency, while Brichet 
continued to thrust and parry with amazing skill, 
uttering little shrieks of fierce satisfaction and crying: 

“ Ah, the good old times ! I believed I had grown 
rusty ; but no, I am just as good as ever.” 

All at once he stopped his soliloquizing and said to 
De Lozeril : 

“Now, chevalier, look out for this favorite thrust of 
mine that is coming. It has never failed to give me 
my man, and I verily believe it will send you to keep 
company with the captain.” 

Then followed a succession of rapid, brilliant feints, 
the two blades flashing and gleaming in the semi- 
darkness. One moment of intense, agonizing excite- 
ment, and then the sword of the procureur disappeared 
in the chevalier’s breast, piercing him through and 
through, and protruding at the back, between the 
shoulders. 

After terminating the hideous struggle, without 


284 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


even given himself time to draw his weapon from the 
wound, the cunning Brichet made a spring backward, 
putting himself beyond the reach of De Lozeril, who, 
he feared, might gather his dying energies and deal 
him a last desperate blow. But the precaution was 
useless. On receiving his mortal w^ound De Lozeril’s 
sword fell from his grasp ; for a moment he beat the 
air convulsively with his hands, then, uttering some 
inarticulate words, he fell headlong to the ground, 
dragging with him the rapier, sticking in his wound. 
Brichet looked at him with perfect calmness, lying 
there close to Annibal. 

“ He fought like a little schoolboy,” he said ; “ and I 
did well to choose him, for that other great brute 
would certainly have got the best of me.” 

Although the scenes just described occupied long in 
the telling, in reality but a very short time had 
elapsed, and now, in the silence of the night the great 
clock on St. Louis’s Church rang out half-past five 
o’clock. The procureur stood motionless, counting the 
strokes, then ran to the window and looked out eagerly 
on the deserted quai. The black horizon shows a faint 
streak of pale light. 

“ Good God, the day is dawning ! I must be off,” he 
cried. “The house is still quiet ; but a little more, and 
it will be all astir.” 

Descending the staircase he reached the salon. There 
he breathed a loud sigh of relief, for the worthy man 
was well pleased with his night’s work. Was he not 
forever rid of the two importunate claimants to his 
fortune ? Had he not thus earned the right of possess- 
ing it in peaceful security ? Wild with joy he ran 
toward his strong-box and once more drew forth the 
beloved pocketbook, lavishing on it the most frantic 
caresses. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


285 


“ Oh, my money ! My love ! My sweetheart ! You 
are mine again — my very own — without any danger of 
loss !” he cried, and* with a sinister look at the ceiling 
he added : “ Yes, come down now, you two, if you can ! 
You who wanted a bit of my precious treasure !” and 
he pressed the pocketbook to his heart with fierce 
delight. Suddenly he laughed out savagely. “ Yes, 
and a few minutes ago De Lozeril was forcing me to 
give him over the half ! There — on this very table — 
and there is the Kirsch, so good says Master de Lozeril, 
that it would bring a dead man to life. Ha, ha, my 
pretty boy, would you like to try it now ?” He took 
the glass in his hand, and holding it on a level with 
his eyes, continued : “You poured me out good meas- 
ure, I see. Scoundrel, nearly half the bottle, and you 
thought you would get me to swallow it, and that it 
would go to my head. Idiot ! As if that wretched drop 
would be enough to knock me over if I had chosen to 
drink it,” and he passed the glass to and fro beneath 
his nostrils, in ecstatic enjoyment of the liquor’s aroma. 
“Dear chevalier,” he murmured, “you little guessed 
you were pouring me out a stirrup cup !” and raising 
the glass to his lips he drank slowly like a true gourmet, 
his eyes closed in tranquil delight. But when, after 
swallowing the last drop, his head still thrown back in 
the act of drinking, he opened his eyes, an apparition 
fell on his horrified gaze, and the glass fell from his 
trembling hand. to the ground with a loud crash. Be- 
fore him stood Colard, pale, silent and somber. Seized 
by a guilty terror, his face convulsed, his haggard 
eyes staring wildly, Brichet staggered backward, ex- 
tending his trembling hands and gasping out : 

“ Have you come to kill me ?” 

Colard shrugged his shoulders contemptuously. 

“What would be the need ?” he said, casting a sig- 


286 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


nificant and sinister smile on the fragments of broken 
glass at his feet, revealing to Brichet the horrible 
truth. 

“ I am lost ! Oh, my God !” he groaned out, frantic 
with despair and terror. “ That Kirsch was poisoned, 
was it not ?” 

Crazy with fear, he threw himself on the ground, 
crawling abjectly to Colard’s feet, who stood there 
cold and immovable. In an agony of fright Brichet 
clasped his knees and covered his hands with kisses, 
at the same time calling wildly on the attendant to 
save him. 

“ What would be the good ?” asked the imperturbable 
Colard, standing there with calm face and folded arms, 
the image of retribution. Brichet sprang toward the 
pocketbock, and handing it to the attendant, sobbed in 
earnest supplication : 

“ Take back the fortune, but in Heaven’s name, save 
my life !” 

And once more he sank down on the ground, over- 
come by agitation, his trembling limbs giving way be- 
neath him. But Colard took not the slightest notice, 
and remained buried in thought. Suddenly his face 
lightened up with a smile, and laying his hand on 
Brichet’s shoulder, he said : 

“ Listen to me : You have but one hour to live, un- 
less I consent to save you.” 

The procarsur sprang to his feet with a wild 
cry. 

“Ah! You say that you can save me! Mercy! 
Mercy !” he shrieked. “ Spare my life, Colard ! Oh, 
I will be your slave ! I will obey you abjectly !” cried 
the miserable wretch, a desperate hope shining in his 
haggard eyes. But Colard shook his head : 

“ You promised that before, and you know how you 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


287 


kept your word. How have you fulfilled your engage- 
ments ?” 

“ I will fulfill them all now, every one if you wish, 
only save me !” he answered eagerly. 

“ Do it at once then,” said Colard, curtly, and he 
pointed to a chair before the table, saying : “ Sit down 
there.” 

Humbly and abjectly Brichet rose from the ground 
and sat down in the chair, saying, in a trembling 
voice : 

“You won’t deceive me, Colard? I may count on 
your word, may I not ? If I do what you demand, you 
will give me my life ? You have an antidote to the 
poison. Show it to me, good Colard !” 

In answer the attendant drew from his pocket a 
small vial. On seeing this, Brichet gathered himself 
together and sprang at the old man as if to snatch the 
bottle from his hand, but he stopped suddenly at sight 
of a long, formidable knife held by Colard, and, mad 
with impotent rage, he flung himself into the chair. 
Taking no notice of this ineffectual attempt at revolt, 
the old servant spoke in a voice of solemn warning : 

“ Obey, before the first pangs of torture begin to 
rack you, for after that I can do nothing for you.” 

“ Give your orders !” cried Brichet, eagerly. 

Colard walked toward a table, whence he took 
writing materials, and passing by the sideboard, he 
fetched a glass, placing all together before the pro- 
cureur. 

“ First of all,” he said, “you will give me back the 
will you made in Mme. Brichet’s favor.” 

“ I haven’t got it,” stammered Brichet. 

Colard looked steadily at him, suspecting that he 
lied. 

“ I swear it,” he continued earnestly. “ It was 


288 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


burned this very night — truly. See, there are the 
ashes lying in the hearth !” whined the poor wretch. 

“ It matters little after all,” answered Colard, with a 
shrug ; “ a later will annuls that one,” and laying a 
sheet of paper before the procureur , he ordered : 

“ Begin by showing me a specimen of the writing I 
told you to practice.” 

And Brichet wrote, with a feverish hand, two lines 
and submitted them to the valet. 

“ Is that all right ?” he inquired in an abject 
tone. 

“ Yes, that will do,” was the reply after Colard had 
carefully examined the paper. “ Now, write on another 
sheet what I tell you.” And he held the writing to 
the candle and set fire to it. 

Brichet took the pen, but suddenly laying it on the 
table, he said : 

“ If you would just pour out the antidote into this 
glass I would write with an easy mind.” 

Instead of answering Colard rose and walked toward 
the door. On seeing this Brichet, once more crazy 
with terror, shrieked : 

“ Stay, stay, for God’s sake don’t leave me. I will 
write anything you wish, my good Colard. You know 
I trust you.” 

. “ Write,” said Colard coldy, and Brichet, bending 
assiduously over the paper, wrote, at the valet’s dicta- 
tion, as follows : 

“ This day, in full possession of my faculties, I write 
here the alterations I desire to make in my last will 
and testament. With the exception of one half million 
and my hotel, which I leave to my wife, Aurore Fou- 
quier, I give and bequeath my entire fortune to my 
beloved daughter, Pauline Brichet, and if the wishes 
of a departed father have any influence over her, I 



»» 


“I WILL BE YOUR WITNESS 


See rage 312 




. 
















’ 












- k* 


# 













MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


289 


further desire that she shall choose for her husband 
Doctor Maurice Gardi.” 

“ Now sign and date it the fourth of last month, the 
night before your fit.” 

Brichet wrote his name with a splendid flourish and 
handed the paper to the attendant. Colard examined 
it, line by line, and, apparently satisfied with the re- 
sult, he folded it and placed it m the pocketbook con- 
taining the millions. Brichet had now left the table, 
and holding out the glass with a trembling hand, he 
almost screamed, in his agitation : 

“ Pour, pour, pour !” 

Colard uncorked the little vial deliberately, and, with 
a steady hand, emptied half its contents into the glass. 
At a gulp Brichet swallowed the liquid. Then rushing 
at Colard with furious menace in his eyes, he shrieked : 

“ Ah, now — now that I am beyond all danger, we 
shall settle accounts, you and I !” 

But Colard remained immovable. Looking calmly 
at Brichet he laughed aloud a bitter, mocking laugh 
of gratified hatred. 

“ Fool,” he said quietly, “ the Kirsch was perfectly 
innocent, and you have just swallowed the real poison. 
Die, like a dog ; I have no more need of you!” 

He had scarcely ceased to speak when Brichet, with- 
out littering a cry, fell dead at his feet. 




CHAPTER XXV. 

Evidently fate had decreed that the name of Brichet 
should furnish unceasing matter of discussion to the 
gossip-loving Parisians, for now, a third time, it was 
repeated in every quarter of the town, and the tragedy 
was the one topic of the day. Those who were really 
well-informed, who “ had it from the very best author- 
ity,” maintained that during a supper in the hotel 
Brichet’s father-in-law and his future son-in-law, com- 
ing to high words, had fought with such desperate 
fury that the fray had ended in the same manner as 
that of the celebrated Kilkenny cats. Four guests who 
had assisted at the repast related how impossible it 
had been for them to prevail on the combatants to 
desist, despite their most urgent entreaties. The ori- 
gin of the quarrel, they said, had occurred long before 
that evening, and was certainly not to be attributed 
to the effects of wine ; after having vainly tried to 
succor the wounded, who had expired in their faithful 
arms, these sympathetic and tender-hearted friends 
had passed the remainder of the night in silent grief. 

But another terrible event of the same night had 
thrown a still heavier gloom over the afflicted house- 
[290] 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


291 


hold, for it appeared the good, amiable and beloved 
procureur had succumbed to a second fit of apoplexy. 
It was said that his valet, Colard, having as usual en- 
tered his master’s room in the morning, had found the 
old gentleman stretched on the floor, cold and dead. 
It was surmised that the worthy procureur , feeling 
himself in danger of another fit, had jumped from his 
bed to call for help. Some wiser individuals declared 
that this second attack had been caused by drunken- 
ness, for the shameful truth was out, despite all the 
efforts of the faithful Colard to conceal it. They went 
so far as to state that the valet had found his master 
lying in the midst of a heap of empty bottles, and the 
doctor, Gardi, summoned too late, could only certify 
that death had been caused by intoxication. Such was 
the explanation of the tragedy that went forth to the 
public. Nothing could have been more logical. 

Colard had so arranged that it was impossible to 
doubt the fact. The attendant had undressed the body, 
that it might appear that Brichet had hastily jumped 
out of bed. He had disarranged the bed-clothes ; on 
the table, beside the half-empty bottle of Kirsch, he 
had placed more empty bottles. 

Excepting the poor captain, who could now tell no 
tales, no one in existence was aware that Colard had 
been passing a sleepless night. The* attendant was 
fully cognizant of the duel. When he had entered the 
procureur' s deserted apartments it was his first thought 
that Brichet had mounted by the secret stair to the 
captain’s room. He, too, ascended, and standing on the 
upper steps, had heard all that had passed ; that is, he 
knew that De Lozeril had slain Annibal, and that in 
his turn he had been killed by Brichet. 

It was scarcely broad daylight when one of the 
servants in a terrible fright came knocking at his door. 


292 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ Monsieur Colard,” he said, “ the four friends of the 
captain are just going away, and oh, sir, they say that 
last night the captain and Monsieur de Lozeril fought, 
and they are both lying there dead, sir.” 

At these words Colard started with horror and sur- 
prise, while he answered : 

“ Do not all'ow any one to enter the room, but run 
at once for . Monsieur de Badieres, and as you go out 
tell the other servants to be sure not to make a noise 
and wake Monsieur Brichet. It will be quite time 
enough to tell him the awful news when he gets up.” 

A half-hour later the judge arrived at the hotel, and 
Colard showed him to the captain’s room. One glance 
at the two bodies was sufficient. 

“ They have run each other through,” he said. After 
making the necessary notes and observations the mag- 
istrate turned to Colard and asked : “ Does Brichet 
know of this ?” 

“ No, sir, I have not dared tell him yet. I thought 
sir, if you would be so kind as to break it to him, you 
would do it so much better than I.” 

“ Very well, Colard.” 

“ Then, sir, I will go and awake him and say you 
wish to speak to him.” 

“ Do so, and I will undertake the rest.” 

Two minutes later Colard emerged from Brichet’s 
room terribly agitated and trembling in every limb, 
and meeting the lackey Frangois, he cried : 

“ Quick, quick, run for Doctor Gardi, there may still 
be hope, and after that go as fast as you can for the 
notary.” 

“ What in Heaven’s name is the matter ?” asked the 
judge in consternation a£ hearing these orders. 

“ Ah, Monsieur de Badieres, what an awful catas- . 
trophe j” stammered Colard, and unable to articulate | 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


293 


another word, he drew the judge toward the room 
where lay the body of Brichet, among the debris of 
empty bottles. In a few moments they were joined by 
the doctor, who cried, pointing to the bottles : 

“Ah, the wretched man, he has been drinking again, 
although I warned him it would be his death.” 

At first sight the face of the corpse exhibited every 
sign of apoplexy ; but after a closer inspection a doubt 
arose in the doctor’s mind. Strangely surprised, he 
bent eagerly over the dead man and forced open the 
jaws. The mouth and tongue were black and strongly 
corroded. 

“ Ah,” he said to himself, “ I see that Master Colard 
sometimes pretends to break vials without breaking 
them.” 

“ A fit of apoplexy, I suppose, doctor,” said M. de 
Badieres, deeply afflicted at the death of his old friend. 

Despite the horrible discovery he had just made, 
Maurice nodded assent and quickly reclosed the mouth 
of the dead, that the tongue might not be visible ; but 
his eyes fell on Colard, and he could not but observe 
the look of intense relief on the attendant’s face at his 
reply to the judge. 

“This man is a poisoner,” he thought, “and he 
imagines I have not discovered the truth.” 

At this moment the door opened and M. Bandinau 
entered. The good notary had forgotten his quarrel 
with Brichet, all rancor having been absorbed in his 
grief for the friend of his youth. 

“ Monsieur Bandinau,” said Colard, “ the whole of 
my late master’s fortune is in that strong-box. Will 
you take charge of it ?” 

“ The ruffian has doubtless stolen half of it,” thought 
Maurice ; and he had scarcely expressed the thought 
in his own mind than Colard, opening the strong-box, 


294 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


drew forth the famous pocketbook and handed it to 
the notary. 

“ Count, if you please, sir,” he said ; and M. Bandi- 
nau, with a practiced hand, hastily turned over the 
contents. 

“ It is quite correct,” he remarked in a few moments, 
to Gardi’s great surprise. 

“What could have been his motive,” he thought. 
Colard’s next words gave him a clue to the mystery. 

“ My master told me, sir, that he had made another 
will, and it ought to be among these papers.” 

“ Ah, I see,” thought Maurice, “ he has left you a 
thundering legacy, Master Colard ;” but M. Bandinau, 
having hastily read the document, forthwith demol- 
ished this theory by saying : 

“ Ah, my poor Colard, .it is you who are the loser 
this time, for in the first will there was a good pension 
left to you, and in this one you are not even men- 
tioned.” 

“Never mind that, sir, Mademoiselle Pauline’s hap- 
piness will make up everything to me. Show M. 
Gardi, please, sir, the clause about him.” 

M. Bandinau held out the will to Maurice, and the 
young man, speechless with joy, looked Colard in the 
face. 

“ It is inexplicable,” he thought, seeing the look of 
sincere satisfaction on the old man’s countenance. 

After giving orders that the chevalier’s body should 
be carried to his own home, M. De Badieres had 
promptly proceeded with the arrangements for the 
burial of poor Annibal. The funeral of Brichet was 
not to take place until the following day, his influen- 
tial position making it necessary to give due notice to 
his many former friends. 

Despite the laxity of his conduct Aurore had dearly 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


295 


loved her father, and followed his remains to their last 
home with deep sorrow in her gentle heart. On re- 
turning from the sad ceremony M. de Badieres, on 
whose arm the poor girl leaned, wishing to shed a ray 
of sunshine on her desolation, said : 

“ The death of De Lozeril will now make it easy for 
Monsieur de Cambiac to be forgotten, and he will be 
allowed to escape quietly to a foreign land,” and Aurore, 
overcome with happiness, murmured : 

“ I am a widow now, free to love him. I shall share 
his exile.” 

Twenty-four hours after the modest funeral of the 
captain, Brichet was borne to the tomb, followed 
by an immense procession of mourners. At the mo- 
ment the cortege left the hotel, Colard, unable to 
endure his crushing grief, had fainted away, so that 
this model serving man had to be left at home alone 
with his sorrow. The procession fairly started, Colard 
suddenly regained possession of his senses, and pro- 
ceeding to his late master’s room, sat himself down 
in Bri chet's arm-chair, listening with intense satisfaction 
to the tolling of the bell at the Church of St. Louis. 
The hotel being but a stone’s throw from the church, 
Colard could hear the chanted mass distinctly, and 
followed with an attentive ear every part of the 
funeral service. Although he felt absolutely certain 
that his crime was undetected, still he was anxious 
that the body should be put away quite out of 
sight, and he admitted to himself that he would not 
be quite at his ease until all evidence of his crime 
should be hermetically sealed up forever in the private 
vault of St. Louis’s Church. 

“ One hour more and I shall have nothing to fear, 
and to all the multitude praying in that church, Brichet 
will be dead as Julius Caesar.” 


296 


Mystery of hotel brichet. 


Presently a tremendous clashing and clanging 
of bells announced that the ceremony was at an 
end, and the procureur about to be laid in his last 
resting-place. At this dismal announcement Colard 
rose to his feet, trembling with emotion, and with a 
burst of triumphant joy he exclaimed : 

“At last, I have gained my end !” 

The words were scarcely spoken, when behind him, 
coming he knew not whence, a terrible voice smote 
upon his ear. 

“ Murderer !” was the single word it pronounced. 

The guilty man turned, and at the awful sight that 
met his gaze, speechless with horror, his face con- 
vulsed by an agony of fright, retreating farther and 
farther back, with seared and trembling hands held 
before his eyes, seeking to shut out the ghastly vision, 
Colard, in a real faint, fell heavily to the ground. 




CHAPTER XXVI. 

We must now revert to a page of history forty years 
previous to the execution of Cartouche, and give some 
particulars of a great personage whom we have already 
mentioned casually. 

On the 5th of March, 1678, an immense crowd was 
assembled on the quai at Toulon. 

Every eye was eagerly turned toward the bay, 
watching the approach of a magnificent galley, the * 
Reale de France , bringing back to his native country, 
after a three years’ absence, no less a personage than 
Louis Victor de Rochechouret, Due de Montmartre et 
de Vivonne, Lord High Admiral of the fleets of France 
and Viceroy of Sicily, commonly called “ Le gros 
Creve .” 

A most remarkable man was this Duke de Vivonne. 

About forty years of age, his corpulence was already 
so developed as to be a favorite subject of raillery and 
witticism at the court. These witticisms, however, 
were usually perpetrated at a pretty safe distance, for 
the duke was as irascible as he was brave, and next to 
eating and sleeping, there was no pleasure for him 
equal to that of fighting. Save these three engrossing 
occupations, life held no enjoyment for him ; in fact, 

[297] 


298 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


his laziness was such that he had once allowed two 
whole months to elapse before writing to the king the 
announcement of an important victory. 

To protect him from the well-deserved royal dis- 
pleasure, the duke had an able advocate in the person 
of his sister, the fascinating Mme. de Montespan, who 
for fourteen years had been the sunshine of the great 
Louis Quatorze. 

But the duke himself deplored such protection, even 
in his direst necessity, and when matters became too 
serious for even his careless spirit, he would travel 
post-haste to Versailles, remain in the royal presence 
just long enough to convulse the king with laughter 
and then go his way, invariably receiving from his 
sovereign some new title or honor instead of the cen- 
sure he so justly merited. 

Assured of the royal favor, the duke would indulge 
in the most eccentric whims, and it was on record that 
at Messina he had caused the senate, the clergy and 
the entire populace to wait five mortal hours, on the 
occasion of his formal inauguration as viceroy, till he 
had ended his dinner. 

To return to the royal galley, which by this time had 
arrived at its destination and now dropped anchor in 
the bay. 

In the present day the words “galley-slaves” and 
“ condemned to the galleys ” have ceased to have any 
real significance, but in bygone times the galley occu- 
pied the place now filled by the ships of the royal 
fleet. Propelled by enormous oars, the crew was fur- 
nished exclusively by the convict prisons. 

From time to time the gates of the convict prisons 
opened to send forth new recruit, s, death and disease 
making terrible havoc in the ranks of the galley 
slaves, whose only protection from the summer sun 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRtCHET. 


299 


and the winter rain was but a piece of sail cloth 
stretched overhead. 

And thus the unhappy creatures lived, labored, 
slept and suffered, hopeless and in chains, and it may 
well be imagined, despite the severity of punishment 
they risked in case of recapture, how the dream of lib- 
erty haunted their forlorn and miserable lives. 

And this was the reason that the Royal Galley, in- 
stead of advancing to land, had dropped anchor just 
in the entrance of the bay and almost out at sea. 

But the precaution had been useless, for the follow- 
ing morning, when the duke was still seated at break- 
fast, the overseer waited on him with the announce- 
ment that a man had escaped. 

“Well,” replied the duke, “if he should not be 
brought back during the day you must apply to the 
foreman of Toulon prison for a convict to replace 
him.” 

“ Ah, your highness, that will, indeed, be difficult, 
for he was one of the very flower of our crew, a splen- 
did young fellow ! An arm of iron ! I chose him 
myself at Messina on his arrival from France. He 
was an exceptionally fine fellow, only eighteen years 
of age, and having already assassinated two persons.” 

But the duke paid little attention to the regrets of 
his overseer, all his thoughts being occupied by his ap- 
proaching return to Versailles, after an absence of 
three years. He merely directed the post of the fugi- 
tive to be filled by another prisoner. 

As the overseer was leaving the room, however, his 
eyes fell on a boat rapidly approaching the galley. 

“ Ah, your highness,” he cried gayly, “ it will be un- 
necessary for me to visit the governor of the prison, 
for, if I am not mistaken, here is my man, safe and 
sound !” 


800 MYSTERY OB' HOTEL BRICHET. 

“ Then go and secure him and pay the reward,” 
ordered the duke. 

“ I will, your highness, and I must further give the 
necessary orders to prepare for our little ceremony,” 
replied the man, bowing and withdrawing. 

This “ little ceremony ” so cheerfully alluded to was 
in reality a most frightful penalty. 

Every recaptured convict was first brought before 
the commandant of the galley ; then, on the overseer’s 
swearing that he was a fugitive from the ranks of the 
galley slaves, he was led back to his deserted place, 
where the blacksmith awaited him, for the purpose of 
riveting to his ankle a weight three times as heavy as 
the one he had borne before his escape. This done, 
the wretched creature’s ears and nose were cut off, and 
the wounds were cauterized with a hot iron. The 
victim’s convulsive writhings under the horrible tor- 
ture frequently caused fatal injuries to the eyes as 
well. 

After this cruel operation, the unfortunate prisoner 
was allowed but three hours respite before being com- 
pelled to return to the labor of the oar. 

The overseer soon reappeared with the fugitive. 

Of middle height and perfectly formed, the young 
galley slave seemed the embodiment of strength, cun- 
ning and audacity as he followed the overseer with a 
careless and defiant air. 

The duke was at that moment engaged in absorbing 
the contents of an immense goblet of iced water, the 
invariable termination of his copious repasts. 

On the entrance of the two men his eyes fell on the 
young fugitive, at whose appearance the duke was so 
startled and amazed that he remained with the half- 
empty goblet in his hands, staring at him in open- 
mouthed astonishment. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 30l 

u By Sardanapalus,” he exclaimed in an undertone, 
“ where have I seen that face ?” 

The overseer waited in respectful silence until his 
highness should finish his goblet of water. 

But the duke seemed to be in no hurry, and in this 
eccentric position continued to make his reflections. 

“ No,” he thought, “ I cannot possibly ever have seen 
this creature before, but there is certainly some old 
acquaintance of mine whom the scoundrel resembles 
in the most remarkable manner.” And still the duke 
remained in thought, his elbows in the air. 

“ Can he be going to swallow the goblet as well as 
the water ?” thought the officer, maintaining a respect- 
ful silence, a silence that was broken by a loud peal of 
laughter, revealing the splendid white teeth of the 
audacious young galley-slave. 

The overseer grew pale, and trembled at this un- 
heard-of act of daring, fearing an explosion of anger 
from the irascible duke, which would, in a measure, 
fall on him as well as the offender. To his great re- 
lief, his highness, calmly depositing the empty goblet 
on the table, merely exclaimed, in the satisfied tone of 
a man who suddenly recalls a long-forgotten fact : 

“ I have it ! Yes, I know now whom he is the very 
living image of — it is Dame Brichet in her youthful 
days.” 

The officer had still further astonishment in store 
for him, for the duke, who had never been known to 
bestow even a look on one of the galley-slaves, now 
turned to the young man and asked him, with evident 
curiosity : 

“ How old are you ?” 

“I am eighteen.” 

“ What is your name ?” 

“ Monday.” 


m 


Mystery of hotel rrichet. 


“ What ?” asked the duke, imagining he had not 
heard correctly. 

“ My name is Monday. It was given to me by the 
people who brought me up, because it was on a Monday 
they picked me out of a ditch where I had been thrown, 
somewhere about Chartres.” 

“ And what has become of these people ?” inquired 
the duke, with lively interest. 

“ Dead !” replied the slave, in a hoarse voice. 

“ Pardon me, your highness, if I offer a word of ex- 
planation,” here interposed the officer. “ It is foj: the 
murder of these two benefactors that he has just been 
condemned to the galleys for forty years.” 

“ Is that true ?” asked the duke. 

“ They beat me,” replied the young man, in a tone 
of bitter resentment. 

“ In escaping you knew the punishment you laid 
yourself open to if recaptured ?” 

“ Yes, I knew ; but it was worth risking something 
to get away from the slow torture of the galleys. 
Always groaning, always suffering. No hope, never 
an hour of recreation !” 

“ Oh, the ingratitude of the creature!” exclaimed 
the indignant overseer, aside. “ Never an hour of 
recreation, indeed ; and I who gave him for his neigh- 
bor the merriest companion in the whole galley — an 
old fencing-master of Navailles, who was sent to us 
for having killed his captain. To say that he never 
has any recreation, when the whole night long, in- 
stead of sleeping, I allow them to amuse themselves 
fencing with two bits of stick that they got somehow. 
Oh, the ungrateful wretch !” But the officer might 
have spared his eloquence ; not one word did his 
highness hear, being once more buried in reverie, his 
eyes fixed earnestly on the young man. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


303 


“ Can it be he ? — eighteen years — yes ! and the won- 
derful likeness ! The boy is evidently an atrocious 
ruffian, but would he have become such if I had not 
interfered with his existence ? Is it not I who have 
been the involuntary means of pushing the wretched 
creature toward the galleys ?” And M. De Vivonne 
again asked himself, “ Can it be he ?” 

As for the overseer, he could only imagine that the 
whole scene was a dream. That a miserable galley 
slave should have dared laugh in the august pres- 
ence of the lord high admiral, and that this worm 
should not only be still alive but actually in conversa- 
tion with his highness himself ! No, no ! It was more 
than any mortal could believe. 

“ Monday,” it must be said, was himself vastly as- 
tonished at the duke’s condescension on his behalf, but 
being a philosophical young person, he evinced no sign 
of emotion, awaiting M. De Vivonne’s next question. 

“ What was the occupation of the people who took 
you from the ditch ?” 

“ They were poor acrobats, without house or home, 
and begging through all the south of France.” 

“ Why did they not go to the north, toward Paris ?” 
asked the duke, who had listened to the boy’s last 
words with eager curiosity. 

“ Oh, oh,” answered Monday, with a meaning smile, 
“ they seemed so very much afraid of Paris that I 
always thought they must have had some disagree- 
ment with the police there.” 

“ So you have never been to Paris ?” 

“ Never.” 

M. De Vivonne strangled a little sigh of relief, and 
proceeded : 

“ And you never tried to find out who your parents 
were ?” 


304 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ What would have been tfre good ?” responded Mon- 
day, with a shrug. “ They must have had some mo- 
tive to throw me into a ditch, and I don’t imagine it 
could have been too much affection. And then what 
should 1 have done in a family, among people who 
would have wished to keep me in order, I who was re- 
solved to be my own master. Why, the very day that 
my adopted parents tried to draw the strings a little 
too tight, I laid them dead on the ground before me.” 

The cool effrontery with which Monday thus re- 
ferred to his shocking crime sent a shudder quivering 
through the huge frame of M. de Vivonne, as he 
thought : 

“ A nice present this creature would be to send his 
poor mother. No — much better keep him in the ser- 
vice of his majesty.” 

Nevertheless, there had awakened in the duke’s 
heart some shadow of remorse, which pleaded faintly 
for mercy for the culprit. 

“ Officer, you will take this man back to his place 
and see that he is more securely chained than before.” 

“Yes, your highness, and I shall give the order for 
our usual little ceremony ?” 

“ No, you will not,” replied the duke dryly. “ I 
make Monday the present of his nose and ears.” 

The overseer gasped with astonishment at this un- 
heard-of clemency, and despite his servility, he could 
not repress a remonstrance : 

“ But, your highness, have you reflected that you are 
encouraging this man to try a second escape ?” 

“Your duty is to prevent such an occurrence,” re- 
plied the duke, curtly, “ and I authorize you to tell the 
two neighbors of this man that, should he effect his 
escape, it is they who will pay the penalty with their 
ears and noses for not having prevented it.” 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


305 


This amendment seemed agreeable to the overseer, 
who further demanded : 

“ And does your highness authorize me to publish 
this new rule on board the galley ?” 

“ What rule ?” 

“ Making each man responsible for the escape of his 
neighbor.” 

“ Certainly not, idiot ! I only intended it to apply 
to Monday, whom I wish to remain on board my gal- 
ley. Now take him away and do as I tell you,” 
ordered M. de Vivonne. 

The puzzled officer retired, dragging Monday after 
him, wondering, if the duke wished to retain the young 
man on board, why he did not do so by the simplest 
means, namely, the cutting of his nose and ears. 

As for Monday himself, sullen and silent, he sat 
chained to the seat, which he had hoped never more 
to behold, seeking vainly why M. de‘ Vivonne had so 
mercifully spared him the dreaded punishment, and 
at the same time wondering why he should thus have 
sought to render all future escape impossible. 

An hour later the barge was in readiness to convey 
the duke to the shore, but before leaving the galley, 
his highness summoned the overseer. 

“ Is Monday back in his place ?” he inquired. 

“ Yes, your highness, and his new chain is three 
times heavier than his former one, and I have warned 
his neighbors what the consequences of his flight will 
be to them.” 

*• Good !” replied the duke, and the anxious overseer 
continued : 

“ But if, in spite of the apparent impossibility, he 
should get away, may I follow the usual routine and 
hang him if he is retaken ?” 

“ No, you may not. You will simply chain him to 


306 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


his seat as before. I wish to find him there on my re- 
turn,” and so saying the Gros Creve descended with the 
precaution his obesity demanded and took his place in 
the barge, leaving the overseer to his mystified, reflec- 
tions. 

“ It must be one of his own relatives,” was the con- 
clusion of that worthy. 

As for the duke, his thoughts, too, dwelt on the 
wretched boy who had so strangely recalled long-for- 
gotten scenes. 

“ Perhaps I am the primary cause of the young ruf- 
fian’s depravity,” he thought ; “but, anyhow, 1 have 
done what I could for him — all any one could do for 
such a scoundrel !” 

During the fourteen days consumed in the journey 
to Versailles, the thought of the galley-slave fre- 
quently recurred to his languid mind, and once 
he was even tempted to laugh aloud, as he mur- 
mured : 

“ Strange freak of destiny ! This boy, who for a 
moment seemed destined for the brilliant career of a 
prince, will, doubtless, rot and die at the galleys.” 

But fate decreed that the duke should never return 
to his galley. 

After a few years of wild dissipation at the court of 
Versailles, he succumbed to a violent attack of indiges- 
tion, having long forgotten the very existence of the 
unhappy man who dragged out his now doubly weary 
life, full of sullen rage and silent suffering. 

For the career of the wretched Monday had become 
one of the most utter misery, hated, as he was, by the 
whole galley. 

The very fact of his having preserved intact his 
nose and ears had engendered a bitter enmity among 
these outcasts, and when it further transpired that his 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRtCHEf. 


m 


neighbors were to be the sufferers should he succeed in 
escaping, their resentment knew no bounds. 

Among his companions Monday went by the nick- 
name of “ M. de Vivonne’s pet.” To the overseer he 
was “ the relative of his highness.” He encouraged the 
evil dispositions of the crew toward the miserable 
Monday, knowing that he was thus doubly secured 
against any further attempt at escape. Despite all pre- 
cautions, however, the energy of the convict remained 
unabated, and three times he succeeded in escaping the 
vigilance of his tormentors ; in each case, with the 
same futile result, for he was recaptured, and his 
neighbors paid the penalty of his hardihood. 

Years passed slowly on, and Monday’s former com- 
panions had, one by one, succumbed to disease or been 
killed in action, but he still lived on and suffered — 
his persecution being bequeathed as a legacy by one 
set of galley-slaves to another. The overseer himself 
was his bitterest enemy, especially since the death of 
M. de Vivonne had put an end to the hope he had 
once entertained of receiving some day a handsome 
gratuity on account of the “ relative.” 

And thus thirty-seven long years had elapsed since 
the sunny March morning when M. de Vivonne had 
driven away in his carriage to Versailles. The boy of 
eighteen was now almost an old man, but as all things 
come to him who waits, the day of deliverance dawned 
at last even for poor Monday. 

During an action in which the galley took part, off 
the coast of Sardinia, the same cannon-ball shattered 
his chain and also carried off the head of the overseer. 

Monday promptly seized the opportunity. Amidst 
the smoke and tumult of the battle he jumped over- 
board, and managed, after many adventures, to reach 
Paris. He was now fifty-five years of age. 


308 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


Through fatal magnetism that irresistibly draws 
one scoundrel toward another, it was not long before 
Monday was enrolled as one of the most active mem- 
bers of Cartouche’s gang. In his capacity of “ pioneer ” 
it was his duty to scent out profitable expeditions and 
to lay the plan for their successful execution. 

The house of a tinsmith, in the Rue de la Bucherie, 
was his place of retreat, and there Cartouche visited 
him from time to time. 

It was at the first of these interviews that the brigand 
discovered his new associate in his natural condition, 
without the wig, blue spectacles and false coloring 
which he invariably wore to elude the police. 

Cartouche, on seeing him thus changed, was utterly 
dumfounded. 

“ What,” he cried, “ is it you — the procureur ?” and 
then it seemed as if he would expire with laughter at 
the acuteness of his joke. “Well,” he continued, 
“ this is really too good to be true, and I who seriously 
believed you to be an escaped galley-slave ! To think 
of one of my band being a procureur ! And you know, 
old fellow, the whole town is looking for you. There 
is nothing else talked of but your mysterious dis- 
appearance,” and again the brigand shouted with 
laughter. 

Monday stared at him, his laughter and his words 
being equally incomprehensible to him. 

“ Look here, now,” pursued Cartouche, “ no humbug. 
I recognized you in a moment, Brichet, my boy. Queer 
idea of yours, all the same, to exchange a life of ease 
for the certainty of ending sooner or later on the 
gibbet. You wanted to revenge yourself on some one, 
eh, procureur ?” 

“ But my name is not Brichet, and I ’m no more a 
procureur than you are,” protested Monday. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


309 


“ Bah ! Tell that to the marines, old boy,” said the 
incredulous Cartouche. “ Why, I fell in with you 
the very day you disappeared from your house on the 
Quai de Bethune. Without any further proof what- 
ever, your face is quite enough. No, no — it ’s no use 
trying to deny your own identity, for there you are ! If 
it pleases you to say you are not Brichet, all right, I ’m 
your man, and I can keep the secret. No doubt you 
wish to revenge yourself on some one, and you have 
only to give me the hint, and I ’m ready to help 
you.” And again the robber laughed, and despite all 
the assertions of Monday to the contrary, he continued 
to the last in his belief that the escaped convict was in 
very truth the Procureur Brichet. 

During two years Monday proved himself one of the 
most active members of the troupe ; after each expe- 
dition retiring to his quarters in the Rue de la Bucherie, 
and never opening the door except to his chief or his 
lieutenant on his giving the password, “ Let us speak 
of M. de Vivonne,” accompanied by five single knocks 
on the door. For the name of the duke, now dead so 
many years, still lived in the memory of the convict, 
who had such powerful reasons for cursing it often 
and bitterly. 

On the day of Cartouche’s execution, Monday, learn- 
ing the revelations made to the judge, thought it 
prudent to prepare for flight, and while hastily pack- 
ing his valise, he was interrupted by the well-known 
five knocks. 

Without losing a moment or pausing to don his wig 
and spectacles, he ran to the door and opened it with- 
out hesitation, when, to his amazement, he found him- 
self face to face with an utter stranger. 

It was Colard, who, the reader will remember, had 
been dispatched thither by M. de Badieres. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

Such was the history of the galley-slave, Monday, 
until the day when Cartouche, himself deceived by 
the really incredible likeness of the two men, had de- 
nounced his accomplice to M. de Badieres as the Pro- 
cureur Brichet, believing him firmly to be the very 
man, despite all protestations to the contrary. 

What was the secret of this extraordinary resem- 
blance ? 

If our readers will pardon another digression, the 
mystery will now be speedily unraveled. 

During the first years of the reign of Louis Quatorze, 
the young monarch, then twenty-four years of age, 
was surrounded by a crowd of courtiers, whose sole 
aim in life was pleasure. 

Foremost in their ranks was the already celebrated 
Duke de Vivonne, “ first favorite ” of the king and 
leader in every extravagant folly of his voluptuous 
court. 

One day this gentleman and a certain Comte de 
Boisderey were walking together in the streets of 
Paris, when they found themselves in the midst of a 
crowd around the entrance of the Church of St. 
Gervais. 

In the midst of the group was a young and pretty 

[3 10 J 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


311 


blonde in her bridal attire, but, instead of the joy that 
ought to have beamed from her charming face, it was 
evident that the young lady was ready to burst into 
tears. By her side was a tall, thin young man, who 
evidently was the bridegroom, who was apparently 
using his best endeavors to smooth the ruffled plu- 
mage of the angry dove who hung upon his arm, but to 
all his efforts the unreasonable little person would 
reply with a stamp of her tiny foot : 

“ I told you so ! I always said it was no use to count 
on him.” 

At this moment the duke and his friend came close 
on the little crowd, and De Vivonne, whose eye was 
ever open for the sight of a pretty face, cried hastily 
to his friend : 

“See, Boisderey, by Venus, what a lovely little 
creature !” 

“Yes, but it is all she can do to keep from crying,” 
replied the other. 

“ Can they be marrying her against her will to that 
long-legged ass ? If so, I shall not allow it !” exclaimed 
De Vivonne, and marching into the midst of the group, 
who respectfully made way for the young nobleman, 
he walked straight toward the bride. 

“ What is your name, my sweet child ?” he asked. 

“ It is still Leonie Thureau, though I am only wait- 
ing the pleasure of Monsieur Luchat to turn it into 
Madame Brichet ?” she replied. 

“ And who is Monsieur Luchat ?” inquired the 
duke. 

“ He is a procureur , and Monsieur Brichet is his 
clerk. He promised to be our witness, but I suppose 
he is too fine a gentleman to keep his word.” 

“ But why don’t you replace him ?” 

“Ah, that ’s just what I was saying to Brichet, but 


312 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


the stupid is afraid to displease his master by taking 
another witness.” 

“And you, poor child, wish to become Madame 
Brichet as quickly as possible, don’t you ?” cried the 
laughing duke. 

“Well, sir, now that I have taken the trouble to 
come to church, I scarcely wish to go home again in 
the same condition,” said the fair bride with a charming 
pout. 

“ Come, then,” he replied promptly, “ I will be your 
witness myself, and I tell you fairly that not only am 
I a much better man than your M. Luchat, but that 
he will feel highly honored when he knows who has 
replaced him,” and so saying the duke presented his 
arm to the young lady, who, without the slightest 
hesitation, laid her little hand on his sleeve and im- 
mediately entered the church, followed by the wed- 
ding procession. 

If may readily be imagined with what wondering 
eyes these humble people beheld the signing of the 
register — the witness setting forth his noble name, 
titles and quality. Heaven had indeed befriended the 
young couple in sending them such a patron ! 

On leaving the little party at the church door, the 
duke imprinted a hearty kiss on each blushing cheek 
of the bride, crying, gayly : 

“ Good-by for the present, sweet child, and as fate 
has decreed that I should officiate at this ceremony, 
I hope, before the year is out, you will call upon me 
to attend another, for I reserve to myself the honor of 
being godfather ! So, an revoir , Madame Brichet !” 
and passing his arm through that of Boisderey, the 
merry duke went his careless way. 

The two friends walked together to the door of the 
Hotel de Montemart, where De Vivonne then lived 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


313 


with his father and three beautiful sisters, each des- 
tined to play a prominent part in the scandals of the 
time. 

One of them, in full toilet, was waiting in the 
grand salon when her brother entered, still laughing 
merrily. 

“ You seem very gay, Victor,” she remarked. 

“ Ah, my dear Athenais, just let me tell you what I 
have been about !” 

Two years younger than the duke, Athenais de 
Montemart, better known to posterity as the Marquise 
de Montespan, was then at the commencement of her 
reign of beauty, and one of the most exquisitely lovely 
women who ever ruled in the court of France. 

But at the moment of which we write her star was 
only rising in the firmament of royal favor, and she, 
overwhelmed with a burning desire for power and 
fame, was ready to catch the ball that fate had so 
auspiciously rolled to her feet. “ Favorite of the 
king !” Yes, the position was a splendid one, as 
Athenais knew full well. How far the ambitious girl 
on the present occasion succeeded in her designs, we 
cannot now say ; but at the end of seven months, when 
the court quitted Fontainebleau, certain it is that in- 
stead of returning to her father’s house in Paris, the 
wayward Athenais chose to shut herself up in a little 
chateau , part of the family property, a few miles from 
Chartres. 

“ Does she think of becoming a nun ?” the duke 
asked himself ; but after the lapse of six weeks he 
received a letter from her, begging him to pay her a 
visit — a visit to be kept a profound secret between the 
two. Four days later and De Vivonne was in his 
sister’s presence, whom he found pale and languid. 

“ Are you ill, my sister ?” he inquired. 


314 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“Yes, with rage,” she replied curtly. “I love the 
king. I gave him the right to believe it, and the next 
day I was utterly forgotten !” cried she, her eyes 
ablaze with fury. 

There was a moment’s silence, and then she con- 
tinued : 

“ I have conceived a plan. I believe the king would 
feel a peculiar tenderness for the woman who should 
first awaken in his heart a joy he has never known — I 
mean the joy of paternity.” 

Athenais looked steadily at the duke and said curtly : 

“ Louis must become a father within fifteen days.” 

The duke turned toward her with a look of the most 
unfeigned astonishment, and remarked : 

“Ah, indeed, but I always thought that before cook- 
ing your hare you had to catch it.” 

“ Quite true, my brother ; and you will be the hun- 
ter who will catch me my hare,” retorted the unabashed 
girl. 

“ Bah !” exclaimed the duke, who now understood 
the service his sister required of him ; and, plunged in 
thought, he strode up and down the room, saying to 
himself : “ How the mischief am I to arrange this 
little affair ?” and at last, tired of reflection, he ex- 
claimed : “ I shall get on better out-of-doors, riding in 
the open air. By the way, I may as well go and see 
Boisderey, who, at this time of the year, is sure to be 
at his chateau .” 

“You won’t find him — he is dead. He was buried 
this morning.” 

“ Good God ! What did he die of ?” 

“ Of blows administered to him by the jealous hus- 
band of some Parisian, to whom it seems he has paid 
too much attention. The husband is in prison and 
will, of course, be executed. As for Boisderey, they 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


315 


brought him down to his place in a dying state, and 
though the change of air seemed at first to do him 
good, his injuries were mortal, and he died without 
even the satisfaction of seeing his murderer hanged. 
The wretch’s name is Brichet.” 

At this name De Vivonne started, a sudden thought 
occurring to his memory. 

“ Brichet !” he said to himself with a smile. “ By this 
time there may be a hare to catch in that direction,” 
and putting spurs to his horse the duke set out instantly 
for Paris. 

“ Now to find out Madame Brichet,” he thought, on 
approaching the capital. 

The duke had an excellent memory for names, and 
easily recalled that of the Procureur “ Luchat,” the 
dilatory witness whom he had so opportunely replaced 
at the wedding. The procureur was not difficult to 
discover, and De Vivonne was received with all the * 
deference due to his rank. A short interview elicited 
the following facts : It seemed that the young couple 
had lived in perfect happiness, excepting for Brichet’s 
insane jealousy. Among her admirers was the Comte 
de Boisderey, who persisted in hovering around her, to 
her extreme annoyance. Mme. Brichet in an evil 
moment complained to her husband, who had lain in 
wait for the comte and beaten him so unmercifully 
that an hour later he had been picked up by the guard, 
dying. Brichet had made no attempt to escape, and 
the judges of the Chatelet at once condemned him to 
death ; but great sympathy being felt for the unhappy 
man, a petition had been set on foot by M. Luchat and 
signed by all the principal inhabitants of the neighbor- 
hood, praying for a commutation of the sentence. This 
had been granted, and Brichet, instead of being exe- 
cuted, was resentenced to the galleys for twenty years, 


316 MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 

and he was now lying in prison, awaiting his departure 
for Toulon. Meanwhile his poor little wife, who was in 
daily expectation of becoming a mother, spent her 
days in sighing and her nights in tears. 

This was all the duke wanted to know ; so, bidding 
the procureur a courteous farewell, he rode down to the 
quai , and leaving his horse in charge of a soldier, made 
his way on foot and enveloped in his cloak toward the 
poor woman’s house. He ascended the stair and 
knocked. A moment more and he was face to face 
with Mme. Brichet, who, stupefied with grief, stood 
speechless before him, vainly trying to remember 
where and when she had seen his handsome face. All 
at once the recollection flashed on her. 

“ Ah, yes, the great nobleman of our marriage day ! 
Oh, it is Heaven who sends you to me, your grace ! 
You are powerful, and you will make them give me 
back my husband !” cried the unhappy woman, falling 
on her knees. Kissing the duke’s hands again and 
again, she remained kneeling before him, crying on 
him to save her husband. 

De Vivonne raised the young woman gently and led 
her to a chair, saying in his sweetest voice : 

“ Compose yourself, my child, and then we shall talk 
a little.” 

In these kind words the unhappy woman, seeing a 
glimmer of hope, controlled herself by a spasmodic 
effort, and clasping her hands together, cried in fever- 
ish haste : 

“ I am calm now. Speak, your grace, speak ! Say 
that you will give me back my husband.” 

But the duke shook his head, sadly. 

“ Brichet has committed a crime,” he answered 
gravely. “Your husband has killed a man, for his 
victim died four days ago. If Monsieur de Boisderey 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


317 


had recovered, the king might, perhaps, have been in- 
duced to pardon him, but as it is you must renounce 
all hope.” 

“ What, and shall I never see my husband again ! 
Oh, my God !” cried the unhappy girl, wringing her 
hands, and a terrible despair in her voice. 

“ Yes, you will see him again — in twenty years,” 
added the duke in an awful whisper. 

“ What !” she almost shrieked. “ Brichet will not be 
here to receive his child’s first embrace, and cannot 
you, the king’s favorite friend, give me back the father 
of the poor little creature who is about to come into the 
world ?” 

But the duke did not answer. At his silence, which 
shattered all Mme. Brichet’s new-formed hopes, the 
poor woman lost herself in a perfect tempest of 
despair. 

“Oh,” she cried in her madness, “oh, that it might 
die before it sees the light !” 

“ Why should you wish your child to die ?” asked the 
duke, quietly. 

“ And what am I to answer when some day it -asks 
for its father — its father whom it will never know, for 
Brichet cannot survive that life of infamy. Yes, better 
that my child should never be born.” 

“ Especially if by its death you could save your hus- 
band ?” said the duke very slowly, taking the oppor- 
tunity he had been seeking to introduce his proposal. 
At his strange words Mme. Brichet looked at him with 
haggard, searching eyes. 

“ What do you mean ?” she asked. 

“ I was only making a supposition,” replied De 
Vivonne, calmly. “ If by chance your child should be 
born dead, and Providence should console you for the 
affliction by restoring to you your husband, would 


318 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


you be glad to accept the dispensation of Provi- 
dence ?” 

The young woman hesitated a moment and then 
replied : 

“ Brichet’s life saved, his love for me would make up 
to me for the sacrifice.” 

“ And supposing some one instead of Providence 
were to come and say to you : ‘ Less exacting than 
Providence, I do not require the death of your child ; 
for if he lives, a life of ease and happiness is assured to 
him. Give me your child, and 1 will give you back 
your husband,’ what would you answer ?” 

Mme. Brichet rose from her seat and stood before 
the duke, trembling, frightened, and asking herself 
whether she could possibly have heard aright. 

“ Do you wish me to buy my husband at the price 
of my child ?” she gasped out. 

“Say yes,” replied Vivonne ; “say yes, and the mo- 
ment the child is given up your husband will be 
with you, and you will simply tell him that the child 
is dead. Say yes, and, beside your husband’s pardon, 
you shall have a good round sum of money, enough 
for Brichet to buy the practice of the procurenr. Say 
yes, for you and I alone Will know this secret, which 
to your husband must never be told, for he must be- 
lieve that the child died. This is my offer ; do you 
accept it ?” 

But at the duke’s words, the mother’s love over- 
came utterly her conjugal affection, and in a voice of 
horror Mme. Brichet cried : 

“ Never !” 

“ Very well, then,” pursued the duke, calmly ; “ let 
us see what will be the consequence of your refusal. 
Poverty and misery will ruin your health and you will 
be unable to nourish your child, who will probably 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


319 


die at your breast, or you will have to send it to the 
foundling hospital.” 

“ Never !” again cried the poor young woman, 
driven to despair. 

“And during this time,” continued De Vivonne, in 
his former tone, “ Brichet’s life will be an absolute 
hell. Chained to his seat, night and day, surrounded 
by a band of most desperate ruffians, half murdered 
with blows and in every way most cruelly treated — 
for the life of a galley-slave is indeed a fearful one ! — 
Brichet, without hope, without support, without con- 
solation, a prey to suppressed rage and despair, will 
very soon sink under his terrible sufferings, from 
which you have the power to deliver him , ” and the duke 
slowly emphasized his last words. 

It was too much for Mme. Brichet. The horrible 
picture drawn by the duke almost convulsed her with 
terror, and falling on her knees before him, she cried ! 

“ Enough, enough, your grace ! For God’s sake say 
no more ! I accept J” 




CHAPTER XXVIII. 

The duke had but little difficulty in obtaining a free 
pardon for Brichet from the king, who was ever ready 
to comply with any request from the friend of his 
childhood, and while signing the “ letter of grace,” 
asked the duke, with some hesitation : 

“ What has become of your sister, who seems to 
have disappeared since our return from Fontainebleau ?” 

“ Athenais has gone away by herself to the country, 
where she remains buried with a persistence that 
leads me to imagine she is trying to forget some hid- 
den grief,” replied De Vivonne, playing into his sis- 
ter’s hands, and then he added, with feigned naivttd : 
“ For a moment I thought she must have had the mis- 
fortune to displease your majesty.” 

The king tried to repress a knowing smile as he re- 
marked : 

“ When you write to your sister you can tell her 
that we have been thinking of her and that eer long 
she will have the proof of our solicitude for her 
future.” 

The duke bowed low, delighted at the royal conde- 
scension, and, withdrawing, wondered within himself 
whether Athenais had really succeeded in securing 
the monarch’s love. 

[320] 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


321 


One week later, and De Vivonne received the ex- 
pected summons from Mme. Brichet. Taking with 
him the free pardon and a bag well filled with gold, 
the duke presented himself at Mme. Brichet’s door, 
and after a moment’s interview with his own physician, 
whom he had sent to the young woman’s assistance, 
he speedily made his way back to the carriage, which 
he had left on the quai. He had not long to wait, for 
in a few minutes the doctor appeared, carrying the 
new-born infant, which being given into the charge of 
a confidential maid (who had accompanied the duke 
thither), De Vivonne descended from the carriage, 
and it immediately drove off at a rapid pace toward 
Chartres. 

“Your grace will excuse me if I return to my 
patient,” said the doctor, bowing and hastily disap- 
pearing in the darkness. 

De Vivonne stood still for a moment ; then turning, 
he slowly made his way back to the Hotel de Monte- 
mart. On further reflection he deemed it advisable to 
absent himself from Paris, so he set out for the chateau 
of M. de Vardes, who at that moment was entertaining 
a large shooting party. During the, first ten days the 
conversation of these gentlemen was entirely concern- 
ing sport, but on the eleventh day the arrival pf a new 
guest revived their interest in the outside world. 

“ What news from the court ?” they cried in 
chorus. 

“ What, have you not heard the great, the astound- 
ing, the incredible news of the day ?” asked the new- 
comer. 

“ No, no, tell us, quickly !” 

“Well, gentlemen, our royal butterfly, the king, has 
been caught at last, and for the last five days he is the 
declared lover of — a certain lady.” 


322 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ Impossible !” was the unanimous reply, uttered in 
every variation of tone. 

“ It appears that the affair was at first deliciously 
mysterious — quite a hidden love — but it was impossible 
to keep the secret any longer, and the delights of 
paternity emboldened the king to appear openly in his 
lady-love’s colors.” 

“Aha!” thought De Vi vonne with high glee. “It 
appears that my beloved sister has succeeded in her 
little game.” 

“ And what is the name of this new star which has 
risen in the royal firmament ?” asked another. 

“ She has received a new name, for only yesterday 
her royal lover created her duchess in her own right.” 

“ Athenais must be crazy with joy,” thought the 
duke, never doubting that his sister was the lady in 
question. 

“ But her name, her name !” they all cried again. 

“ Well, gentlemen, since you must know, it is Mile. 
Louise de la Blaume, whom the king has now created 
Duchess de la Valliere.” 

“ What !” cried De Vivonne, starting suddenly to his 
feet and growing pale. 

“ Just look at De Vivonne’s face ! He is actually 
pale at the thought of the king having chosen a lame 
lady !” and all eyes were turned to the duke, whose : 
emotion was thus attributed to surprise. 

“ Lame indeed she is !” said another. 

“ Yes, but lame or not, she is just about to become 
a mother, and this fact has induced the king to raise 
the curtain that has hitherto so discreetly veiled the 
royal folly,” continued their informant. 

That same evening the duke, furious at his sister 
thus having been checkmated, hastily left the chateau , 
and was soon riding rapidly toward Paris. On arriv- 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


323 


ing at the Hotel Montemart the first person he saw 
was Athenais, who had returned from Chartres on the 
previou day. She was apparently calm, and drawing 
her brother aside, remarked : 

“ Victor, I know all. I have learned from a letter, 
received from Mile, de Montalais, the triumph of 
Mile, de la Valliere, and I have lost the game.” 

“ To say nothing of your rival having been able to 
pay in good money the stakes that you would have 
paid in forged coin,” said the brother with cool 
cynicism. 

“Well, I let my little project fall to the ground,” 
replied Athenais, curtly. 

But a thought occurred to the duke. 

“ What did the king mean by saying he had thought 
of your future ?” 

Mile, de Montemart pointed to an open letter, bear- 
iug the royal seal, lying on the table. 

“ The explanation is in that document, which I found 
awaiting me here. In it I am appointed lady-in-wait - 
ing to ‘ madame,’ and the king further informs me 
that he desires me to marry M. de Montespan, and 
that he himself will sign the contract. In fact, it is a 
royal command.” 

This marriage will insure your residence at the 
court — near the sun, which will shed its beneficent 
rays over you, my dear,” said the brother, with quiet 
emphasis. 

“ And this time I shall play my cards more cleverly,” 
murmured the young lady. And from the light that 
flashed in her eyes one would have imagined that 
already she foresaw the future, herself created Duchess 
of Montespan, and in her turn eclipsing her rival, La 
Valliere and holding her ascendency over her royal 
lover for fifteen prosperous years. 


324 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


After a short silence the duke, suddenly striking his 
forehead, hastily exclaimed : 

“And by Jove, what became of the infant ?” 

“ Oh, the creature was, of course, useless to me, so I 
gave it to my maid Josephine with a good sum of 
money, and told her to leave it at the door of some 
decent peasant, who would be sure to take the child 
in,” said Athenais coolly. 

When the duke was alone, and at leisure to think 
over the affair, he laughed and said to himself : 

“ It would have been better to have given the child 
back to that pretty Mme. Brichet.” But another 
thought struck him. “ No,” he said, “ that would have 
been out of the question, because Brichet, who must 
now be out of prison, will have learned from his wife 
that the child died at birth. Better let the matter 
rest.” 

De Vivonne had scarcely come to this conclusion, 
than the door was thrown violently open and a man in 
the wildest state of excitement precipitated himself 
into the room, despite the efforts of several lackeys, 
who tried in vain to hold him back. 

“Yes, I must and shall see him !” he cried, “and I 
know he has this morning returned from the country. 
He is my benefactor — my savior. I cannot lose a 
single moment in throwing myself at his gracious feet,” 
and the poor fellow threw himself down before the 
duke, sobbing and crying with happiness. 

“ What, is it you, Brichet ?” said the duke, instantly 
recognizing him. 

“Yes, your grace, it is I. I, henceforth your slave, 
to do with what you will. You may ask me for my 
life, it is yours. Body and soul I belong to you, for my 
wife has told me all.” 

“ Oho, so your wife has told you all ?” replied the 




MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


325 


duke, twirling his mustache, while he wondered how 
his wife’s confession should have thus caused Brichet 
to overflow with happiness. 

“ Yes, your grace, she told me all. How you came to 
her yourself to claim the promise she made you, that 
your grace should be godfather, and I know how I 
owe to you my liberty, and the handsome present your 
grace has given the baby will enable me to purchase 
M. Luchat’s practice. Ah, your grace, it was indeed 
heaven who sent you to us on our wedding-day !” 

And the good fellow again wept tears of joy and fell 
to kissing the duke’s hands with renewed vigor, the 
latter seeking vainly to explain to himself the joy of 
this father who had just heard of the death of his 
first-born. 

“ How long have you been out of prison ?” asked the 
wondering duke. 

“ Ten days, your grace.” 

This response puzzled the duke more than ever, as 
it had been agreed between Mme. Brichet and himself 
that Brichet should not be informed of the child’s 
death until a week after the supposed event. 

“ And,” pursued the excited clerk, “ my first duty 
and my pleasure was to fly here to your grace to pour 
out all my gratitude and further to beg you to fix the 
day !” 

“ The day ! Good heavens, what day ?” cried the 
mystified De Vivonne. 

“ The day for the christening, of course, your grace !” 

“ The christening !” gasped the duke, now utterly 
dumfounded. 

“ Yes, your grace, the christening of my son, your 
own godson, a splendid boy that one of my neighbors 
is holding in her arms downstairs. I will go and fetch 
him if you will allow me,” 


326 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ My word, yes ! I am quite curious to see him !” 
exclaimed the duke, giving up the conundrum in de- 
spair. 

Brichet rushed to the door, dashed down the stair, 
and in another moment returned, carrying in his arms 
his little son, whom he presented to his benefactor, 
who, gazing dreamily at the infant, thought within 
himself : 

“ What trick can the little woman have played her 
husband?” he said, lost in thought. Then suddenly 
awakening to the reality, he said, with a smile: “Then 
you are perfectly happy, eh, Brichet ?” 

“ Ah, your grace, can you doubt it ? And I owe it 
all — all to you !” 

“ Well, Brichet, henceforth you may count among 
your clients the house of Montemart.” 

“Thanks, thanks, your grace! Your goodness is 
overwhelming, and now I have nothing left to wish 
for but that you will name the day.” 

“ True, Brichet. Well, let us say this day fortnight,” 
said the duke, smiling and touched at the poor fellow’s 
delight, “ and I hope by that time your wife will be 
strong enough to be present at the ceremony,” he 
added, thinking he would thus have an opportunity of 
getting at the truth from Mme. Brichet. 

“ In a fortnight. Very good, your grace,” and the 
clerk went away, radiant with happiness. 

But it was not decreed that the duke should remain 
in his bewilderment much longer, for the following 
day he received a visit from his physician, whom he 
had not seen since they parted on the quai . The 
worthy doctor had come to receive his promised fee, 
which had been fixed in advance. The duke placed a 
pile of louis on the table. The doctor counted the 
money with one glance, but stood there silent. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


327 


“Well, doctor, isn’t that all right?” asked De 
Vivonne. 

“Well, no, your grace, for I am sure you are too 
just not to admit that when there is double work there 
should be double pay.” 

“ Double pay ! What the devil do you mean ?” cried 
the duke. 

“Then your grace does not know what happened?” 
asked the doctor, in amazement. 

“ Why, what has happened ?” demanded the duke, 
thinking there was to be no end to the day’s mystifica- 
tions. 

“Well, your grace, when I left you on the qnai , I 
returned immediately to my interesting patient, and 
found, to my surprise, that during my absence she had 
given birth to another son, twin brother to him who 
at that moment was being carried away in the post 
chaise.” 

“ By Venus !” exclaimed the duke, a flood of light 
thus falling on the whole mystery. 

“ And I think that your grace will now allow that I 
have fairly earned a double fee,” continued the 
physician. 

“ Quite so,” replied the duke, rising and laying a 
second pile of louis on the table, and this time the 
doctor was hot slow in taking possession of his reward. 
Bowing low, he walked toward the door, saying, as he 
left the room : 

“ I hope your grace may soon require me again,” as 
if he imagined the duke was possessed with a mania 
for making himself a large collector of children. 

Left to himself, De Vivonne burst into a hearty peal 
of laughter. 

“Yes,” he said, “ I see it all now ! What a stroke 
of luck for little Mme. Brichet ! The husband will go 


328 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


to his grave without the slightest suspicion that he 
was the father of twins !” 

At last the day of the christening came. Pale, but 
again restored to beauty by the healing influences of 
happiness, Mme. Brichet trembled visibly when the 
duke appeared at her side, throwing him one suppli- 
cating glance, which he well understood as a mute 
appeal to his honor. Finding himself alone with her 
for a moment, amidst the immense crowd assembled 
to witness the singular good fortune of the young 
couple, he hastily whispered : 

“ You have nothing to fear, madame, for I swear to 
you, on the honor of a gentleman, that your secret 
shall go with me to the tomb.” 

A flash of gratitude escaped from Mme. Brichet’s 
.soft eyes, but in another moment her sweet face was 
overclouded with sadness, for from her heart there 
had risen a question to her lips that she scarcely dared 
pronounce, but summoning all her courage and blush- 
ing vividly, she at length stammered : 

“ What has become of — the other ?” 

The duke, anxious to put an end to any recollec- 
tion of the sad past at once and forever, answered 
promptly : 

“ He died.” 

One look told the anguish of the poor mother’s 
heart, as she murmured : 

“ Ah, Heaven has already punished me !” 

De Vivonne felt truly sorry for her, and, stooping 
down, said, in his sweetest voice : 

“ Take courage, dear child. Don’t you see, on the 
contrary, that Heaven is smiling on you ? At the 
price of this infant, who would have died in any case, 
you have received all the happiness you so justly 
merited.’* 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


329 


And this was the last time the duke ever beheld 
Mme. Brichet. Years passed away, each adding new 
honors to the name of De Vivonne, who, owing to the 
powerful influence of his sister and the faithful friend- 
ship of the king, became a pillar of the state, and 
amidst the increasing occupations of a public life all 
recollections of his humble protege's was swept away. 
It was not until eighteen years later that his dormant 
memory was awakened by the extraordinary like- 
ness of the young galley-slave to Brichet, and he 
recognized in him the infant twin whom his sister 
Athenais had abandoned to chance on the public 
road. Our readers will now understand the exclama- 
tion of M. de Vivonne, when travelling toward Ver- 
sailles : 

“ Strange freak of destiny ! This young villain 
will now probably die at the galleys, when for a 
moment he seemed destined to play the part of a, 
prince.” 

But for the present we must leave the escaped 
galley-slave, who, after thirty-seven years at the gal- 
leys, had joined Cartouche’s band, and follow the for- 
tunes of M. and Mme; Brichet, who now were leaving 
the church after their infant’s baptism. The munifi- 
cence of their kind patron soon put Brichet in posses- 
sion of M. Luchat’s office ; and the extensive business of 
the house of Montemart, which now fell into his hands, 
besides the liberal patronage of the Duchess of Monte- 
span, caused the Procureur Brichet to become one of 
the richest and most celebrated lawyers of the day. 
The worthy Brichet never doubted for a single moment 
that the son who was the joy and pride of his life was 
the only child with which Providence had blessed him, 
and the boy grew up in the belief that M. de Vivonne 
was in very truth the guardian-angel of his family. 


330 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


Twenty-eight years after his promise to Mme. Brichet 
the duke was gathered to his fathers, and three years 
later the grave closed, tod, on her happy existence. 
With these two persons, the secret of the twin child’s 
birth was buried forever. 

A widower and millionaire, we have seen how the 
Procureur Brichet built himself a magnificent mansion 
on the Quai de Bethune, and having ceded his business 
to his son Louis Victor, was about to take possession 
of his new abode when death laid his cold hand upon 
him. The only survivor, then, of the little family was 
Brichet, our hero, he whom we have designated “ the 
late Brichet.” 

We must now go back to the hotel on the Quai de 
Bethune, where the funeral bells are still ringing out 
their ghastly chime, announcing to all the neighbor- 
hood that Brichet, the procureur , is dead and buried — 
Brichet, the last of his name, who it was believed had 
succumbed to a second attack of apoplexy. What 
had been the motive of Colard’s conduct ? Why should 
this model of serving men, who seemed the very in- 
carnation of devotion, have poisoned his master ? And 
why, stranger still, should the old attendant, left alone 
in the hotel, have exhibited every sign of unmistak- 
able happiness on hearing the funeral bells announce 
beyond a doubt that all was ended ? 

For all answer to these questions we shall resume 
our story at the point where, behind the guilty Colard, 
a voice was heard uttering the one terrible word, “ Mur- 
derer !” and when, on beholding him who had spoken, 
the old attendant fell prostrate to the ground. For a 
deadly terror had seized on the wretched man. The 
sound of the priests’ voices chanting the requiem over 
the body of Brichet came floating on the air, the funeral 
bells were yet clanging for Brichet, the multitude were 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


331 


pressing around to cast holy water on the bier that 
held the remains of the procureur, when, lo, as an ap- 
parition from the land of spirits, arose before him 
his victim, Brichet ! Yes, it was Brichet himself 
who, now standing before the guilty attendant, cried 
aloud : 

“ Murderer !* 




CHAPTER XXIX. 

Yes, Brichet it was. Not, indeed, the procureur of 
recent days, he of the harassed countenance, suspicious 
eye and uneasy mien who that very morning had been 
placed in his coffin, but the Brichet of old, calm, grave 
and dignified, at peace with God and man. 

When Colard regained consciousness, he saw Doctor 
Gardi bending over him, who had entered the room 
during his fainting-fit. Brichet, seated close by, awaited 
anxiously the complete restoration of the attendant. 

“ Maurice,” he said, on seeing Colard open his eyes, 
“may we not be interrupted here by some one enter- 
ing during the interview I must have with this man ?” 

“ No, Monsieur Brichet, no one will come. Nearly 
all the servants have gone to pay visits to their friends, 
Madame Brichet has retired to her pavilion, and I 
myself conducted Mademoiselle Pauline to her own 
rooms ; and even if I had not taken the precaution to 
lock the door, the apartments of the dead would be 
perfectly sacred. You may be certain, sir, that no one 
will intrude on us.” 

Reassured, Brichet turned toward his servant and 
said to him severely : 
f 33 2 J 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


333 


“ Come here, wretch !” 

Colard endeavored to come forward, but after step- 
ping a few steps, fell upon his knees with clasped 
hands, crying, in a broken voice : 

“ Forgive me, my master, forgive me !” 

“ Yes, your place is, indeed, at my feet,” answered 
Brichet, “you who have repaid all my kindness with 
the most atrocious crimes !” And after a moment’s 
pause he continued : “ Now answer me.” 

Colard remained on his knees, his head bent down, 
Maurice standing in the background, a silent spectator 
of this painful scene. 

“ Before referring to your horrid crime, let us recall 
for a moment the circumstances that preceded it. I 
had just married Aurore, and I loved my young wife 
passionately. I was happy, and trusted her entirely. 
One day you brought me a note addressed to her by a 
certain Baron de Cambiac, requesting a rendezvous. 
Do you remember that ?” 

“ Yes, sir.” 

“ Where did you find the note ?” 

“ I found it in your wife’s room. She had intended 
to throw it in the fire, but it fell in a corner of the 
hearth, and I found it there when I was removing the 
ashes during madame’s absence.” 

Brichet continued : 

“ While it alluded to some affection of the past be- 
tween the young people, the note was in no way com- 
promising to Aurore. With one word you could have 
dispelled all my uneasiness, but instead you did your 
very utmost to excite my jealousy. According to you 
there was a love affair between Aurore and Monsieur 
de Cambiac ; you declared they were in the habit of 
meeting. I had unlimited confidence in you and 
believed it. Fool that I was !” 


334 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ I lied, sir. Madame Aurore was always irreproach- 
able,” said the penitent Colard. 

“ I became furious against my wife, and would have 
openly accused her, but you prevented me by saying 
it would be useless, that she would deny all so long as 
I had no actual proof. Do you remember that, liar ?” 
Without awaiting a reply, Brichet continued : “ It was 
then I had the folly to listen to you and to adopt your 
odious advice, to my unspeakable misfortune. I had to 
feign that I was going on along journey and then return 
secretly on the following night. At midnight you were 
to open the little garden gate and admit me and lead 
me to the presence of the lovers, who were to meet 
beneath my roof in my supposed absence.” Here the 
old man paused a moment, deeply moved by painful 
memories. “ My confidence in you was such that I 
concealed nothing from you, and I had told you of hav- 
ing made' a will, leaving my entire fortune to my 
young wife. I admit I was wrong, and that I acted 
unworthily toward my beloved daughter.” 

Colard here shook his head and murmured : 

“ Ah, yes, that has been the cause of all our misfor- 
tunes.” ' *- 

But without heeding him Brichet went on : 

“ It was natural that I should not allow a woman 
who had so deceived me to become rich by my death ; 
besides, desiring to atone to my daughter for the 
wrong I had done her, I therefore went, on the day 
before my departure, to Badineau’s office to alter my 
will. It appears that this alteration interested you 
deeply, for you questioned me a dozen times as to 
whether or not it had been done. At last the hour 
drew near when you were to conduct me to the guilty 
lovers whom you declared were about to meet. It was 
agreed that I should go away at night, leaving a letter 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


335 


announcing my journey to my wife and daughter. I 
went away, taking no luggage except my fire-arms, to 
punish those who had dishonored me, and a large sum 
of money, with which to fly to a foreign country, when 
I had killed the culprits.” 

It appeared that all these details were perfectly 
familiar to Maurice, who listened to Brichet’s recital 
without the slightest surprise. 

The procureur went on : 

“The following night at twelve o’clock I knocked, 
and you opened the little garden-gate. * They are to- 
gether,’ you said. ‘ Take me to them,’ I answered, 
walking into the garden, but you put out your hand 
and detained me, asking me whether I had remade 
my will in Pauline’s favor. ‘Yes, a hundred times 
yes, I tell you !’ I answered impatiently, pushing away 
your hand and advancing resolutely, but I had not 
proceeded three steps when, suddenly rushing upon 
me from behind, you buried a poniard to the hilt be- 
tween my shoulders. Assassin, do you dare to deny 
your crime ?” 

“ I confess that I wished to kill you,” replied the 
attendant, curtly. 

He had risen, and stood before his master, pale and 
somber, his arms folded on his breast. At the frank 
admission of his crime, Brichet and Maurice exchanged 
a look of astonishment, for both had expected that 
Colard would attempt to exculpate himself rather than 
avow his guilt, as he did with a kind of fierce energy. 

“ Then you confess to having laid a trap for me in 
exciting my jealousy ?” asked the procureur. 

“ Certainly, a trap ; for your wife was innocent, and 
I knew it. My sole desire was to kill you,” answered 
Colard, calmly, his voice no longer trembling. 

Brichet gazed at the man before him, wondering at 


336 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


the cool cynicism with which this man — whom he had 
ever known to be upright, devoted, affectionate — 
boasted of his deadly crime. 

“ Listen,” continued Brichet. “ When I recovered 
my senses I was lying in a poor garret, for behind 
the murderer God had sent me a savior,” and turning 
toward Maurice, the procureur gratefully pressed his 
hand. 

Colard saw the gesture, and his eyes glistened with 

joy. 

“ Ah,” he said, “ it was M. Maurice who saved you ; 
that was right !” 

Brichet and the doctor again exchanged glances of 
surprise. 

“ Yes, it was he who found me lying in the square, 
at the point of death, and who, unassisted, carried me 
to his own poor home. On recovering my senses I 
was consumed with a desire for vengeance, feeling 
certain that it was De Cambiac and Aurore who had 
bribed you to murder me. Maurice gave me his word 
that he would keep my secret, and by means of the 
large sum of money with which I was provided, I 
bought the whole house, of which he inhabited the 
garret, dismissed the other tenants, and there I passed 
the period of my convalescence. 

“ At last, my health restored, I left the doctor’s 
house and took a lodging in this neighborhood, where, 
during two long years, I have watched you, Colard. 
I have seen you going and coming, and no action of 
yours is unknown to me. Of my wife’s fidelity I had 
no longer the faintest suspicion, but I was absorbed 
by an overwhelming desire to discover your reasons 
for attempting to murder me.” 

A sickly smile appeared for a moment on the white 
lips of the old servant as he asked slowly : 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


337 


“ And did you find out ?” 

“ No,” replied Brichet, “ I did not. Vainly I prowled 
about in the neighborhood, listening here, watching 
there — nothing escaping my notice, and no one ever 
penetrating my disguise. Where others were in doubt 
as to the culprit, there I saw your hand, for it was you 
who struck down De Lozeril in the square, was it not ?” 

“ Yes. In order to preserve my secret.” 

“And it was you who brought hither the ruffian 
who took my place ?” 

“ It was I.” 

“ And you killed him with the poison you stole from 
me,” added Maurice. 

“ That is true,” said Colard, calmly. 

“ Wretched man !” cried the procureur. “ Your crimes 
have merited the last penalty of the law, and yet, in 
the midst of all your infamy, I have seen you ever de- 
voted to my Pauline and strictly honest in the admin- 
istration of my property, for not one crown of all the 
large sums that have passed through your hands has 
been misappropriated. What, then, can have been your 
motive ?” 

Colard appeared to hesitate, and then said in a chok- 
ing voice : 

“ Do you really want to know, sir ?” 

“ Yes, Colard.” 

The attendant shook his head. 

“ Then,” he said resolutely, “ call me no no longer 
Colard, Monsieur Brichet, for it is not my name.” 

“Who, then, in God’s name, are you ?” gasped the 
astonished procureur , leaning forward with terrible 
earnestness in his eyes. 

The old servant strode forward the few paces that 
separated him from his master, and looking him 
steadily in the face, answered slowly ; 


338 . MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 

“I am the cobbler Pigeot, your dead wife’s father.” 

At this name, unheard for so many years, the pro- 
cureur sank back in his chair, utterly overcome, mur- 
muring : 

“ You ! Can it be possible ! Pigeot of Nancy, my first 
father-iri-law !” 

“ Yes, it is I, the cobbler, w T hose low condition would 
have put you to shame, and who, to secure the happi- 
ness of his only child, consented never to see her more. 
Fool that you were,” continued the old man with a 
contemptuous shrug, “ to imagine that a parent would 
hold to such a bargain. What father would renounce 
the joy of seeing his child, of feeling there on his 
breast the being he most adores, of covering with 
kisses that beloved head, of being the slave to all her 
wishes, of rejoicing in her happiness, of grieving at her 
pain, and in his turn to feel himself beloved — in short, 
to be a father ! Ah, believe me, Monsieur Brichet, it 
is not in human nature to relinquish a joy so pure, so 
sweet, so real. Needless to tell you, I never lived at 
Nancy. Paris was my homeland there I lived, strug- 
gling at my poor trade to bring up my daughter, whose 
mother died at her birth. In the midst of my poverty 
I had always one mania, to see my daughter one day 
happy and rich. Alas, it was but an empty dream, for 
work was scarce ; so abandoning it altogether, I con- 
fided my daughter to a respectable neighbor, and hear- 
ing that you were in want of a valet, I secured the 
vacant place. I took the name of ‘ Colard,’ for I en- 
tered your service with a vague and foolish hope. 
Foolish ? Yes, it seemed so, but it was to be realized. 
At the end of a year I had learned the true worth and 
amiability of your character, and in you I saw all that 
I could desire in the husband of my beloved daughter. 
Then I laid my plans. Again and again I arranged, 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


339 


unknown to her, that she should cross your path, and 
at length one day you noticed and were struck by her 
singular beauty. Your first idea was to make her 
your mistress ; but knowing that to a nature like 
yours resistance would only increase the desire for 
possession, I rejected all your overtures in her name, 
until at last you resolved to make her your wife. 
Only one consideration restrained you — the fact of 
the low-born father. It was then that I volunteered 
to visit Nancy, see the cobbler and obtain his re- 
nunciation. After some days I pretended to return 
with the desired agreement, but in reality I had never 
left your house. The only difficulty was in obtaining 
my daughter’s consent to the conditions involved in 
the marriage, to see her father one of the servants in 
her own house, and to keep a secret from her husband, 
for she was an honest, loyal girl !” 

“ As she was a true and noble wife !” sighed Brichet, 
his eyes filling with tears. 

“At last I overcame her scruples, and the marriage 
took place. The dream of my life was realized ! Ah, 
what happy years I have passed in this house ! My 
daughter prosperous, honored, beloved by all, rich 
and poor ! How often a stolen kiss or a warm clasp 
of her hand has made my poor heart beat wildly with 
joy! Yes, yes, my happiness was indeed complete; 
more so, indeed, than hers, sweet child, for the thought 
that she was committing even the shadow of a decep- 
tion grieved her gentle heart. Seventeen years passed 
away like a flash, and before I could realize my hap- 
piness it was gone. Suddenly stricken down, my 
daughter was taken from me — from me, who would 
gladly have died for her ! Ah, heaven is too cruel ! 
The grief of a parent burying his only child !” And 
the old man burst into a tempest of sobs. “ I should 


340 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


have died of grief if God, in his mercy, had not sent 
me another being to love and watch over, in the place 
of her who was now one of His angels. Yes, all my 
tenderness and devotion were now centered in my be- 
loved little Pauline, whom henceforth I adored with a 
sort of grief-stricken frenzy. My daughter had died 
so suddenly that she had not had time to reveal 
to Pauline the identity of the old attendant, and 
for her I am and ever shall be only ‘ Colard but I 
accepted the sacrifice, and the one object of my life 
became her welfare and interest. I became utterly 
implacable toward any one who should do her the 
shadow of a wrong, and in my mind, Monsieur Brichet, 
your fortune belonged to Pauline, whole and undivided, 
and I imagined you could not deprive her of a sou. 
Fool that I was ! Soon you convinced me of my error. 
One day you announced to me your intended marriage. 
Ah, sir, you little knew the rage that surged within 
me, tempting me to strike you dead at my feet ! Then 
I resolved sooner or later to murder you, and only 
waited, watching my opportunity. I did not find it 
before your marriage, but I- dogged your footsteps 
continually in the hope that it might come. Ten days 
later I overheard a conversation between you and 
Monsieur Badineau, by which it was clear to me that 
you had made a will in favor of your young wife, thus 
despoiling my Pauline of her inheritance. All my en- 
deavors were now bent on persuading you to alter that 
will, which I at last accomplished by successfully poi- 
soning your mind with suspicions of Mme. Aurore. 
This done, and the wealth once more secured to Paul- 
ine, I might now murder you, and I did so, or, rather, 
I thought I had done so. After stabbing you in the 
garden, I lifted you on my shoulders, and taking off my 
shoes, was carrying you toward the river to throw your 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


341 


body into the Seine, when in the square Monsieur de 
Lozeril seemed suddenly to rise out of the darkness 
and arrest my progress. Terrified, I dropped my 
burden, and the young man fell under your body. I 
fled homeward, and only succeeded in getting inside 
the little garden gate and closing it, when I fell faint- 
ing to the ground. How long I remained insensible I 
cannot say, but when I recovered, my first thought was 
to run to the Square to see what had become of my 
victim. He had disappeared.” 

“ My savior had rescued me,” said Brichet, once 
more clasping the hand of Maurice. 





CHAPTER XXX. 

During this interview all had been silent in the great 
house, but now the sound of the heavy knocker at the 
grand entrance announced the arrival of a visitor, and 
in another moment footsteps resounded on the gravel- 
walk beneath the open window of Brichet’s bedroom. 
Maurice advanced cautiously and looked down. 

“ It is Monsieur de Badieres going toward the pavil- 
ion,” he said. 

At the judge’s name Brichet turned quickly and 
looked at Colard, but the attendant shook his head 
with quiet contempt, and said calmly : 

,{ l understand, Monsieur Brichet. You wish to ob- 
serve whether I tremble at the magistrate’s name. 
No, sir. Believe me that when one has been playing 
for heavy stakes, as I have during the last three years, 
one cannot but think often of what will be the end in case 
of final defeat. I have lost the game, and I am well 
prepared to pay. The thought of death has no terror 
for me, but before the hand of Justice seizes me, Mon- 
sieur de Badieres will be surprised to learn that he 
himself has been my involuntary accomplice in carry- 
ing out the bold deception I have practiced.” 

“ What can you mean ?” cried Brichet, amazed. 

r 342] 



MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


343 


“ Listen and you will see. For many days and 
weeks following my crime I lived in constant dread of 
the pursuit of justice, but time passed on, nothing 
happened, and I began to breathe again. At the 
end of six months the thought of the murder I had 
committed, far from filling me with remorse, only 
awakened within me a bitter rage that it had been per- 
petrated in vain. Yes, I had murdered you that my 
Pauline might be rich and happy, but it was impossi- 
ble to prove your death. No one knew it but myself ; 
every one believed you were travelling, and looked 
forward to your return, so that the fortune waited 
there without an owner, and my grandchild was as far 
from it as ever. For a moment I even formed a des- 
perate project of confessing my crime and declaring 
the death.” 

To this revelation Brichet and Maurice listened in 
silence, and despite the horror it inspired they could 
not but pity the old man whose paternal love had thus 
led him to commit three murders. 

Pigeot continued : 

“ About this time Cartouche was captured, and when 
brought before M. De Badieres he named you, sir, as 
one of his confederates.” 

“ Me !” cried the procureur, rising from his chair, 
almost paralyzed with amazement. 

“Oh, sir,” said the attendant, “ Cartouche might, in- 
deed, have been deceived, for the likeness was so ex- 
traordinary that on first seeing the man I was abso- 
lutely convinced it was yourself. Astonished by the 
brigand’s assertion, which was confirmed by showing a 
portrait of you, M. De Badieres, listening to the voice 
of friendship rather than the dictates of duty, came 
here at once and sent me with a message to you, warn- 
ing you to fly. He gave me your address and the 


344 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


password without, however, telling me whom I was 
about to meet. On finding myself in the presence of 
this man, whom I firmly believed to be you, I was so 
overcome by emotion that for the first few moments I 
stood before him utterly speechless. I believed my- 
self face to face with my victim, who would doubtless 
now take his revenge, but he, on his side, seemed sus- 
picious and uneasy. 

“ ‘Well,’ he cried, ‘ is that all you came up here for 
— to stand there gaping and staring like a dying fish 7 

“ I then found words, and warned him to fly, telling 
him of Cartouche’s denunciation. By this time I had 
examined the man carefully, and gradually the truth 
dawned on me that I had been mistaken, but it sud- 
denly occurred to. me that I might possibly find a use 
for this most incredible resemblance, so I said nothing 
of M. De Badieres, merely representing myself as one 
of the gang and advising him to keep himself con- 
cealed until I could provide him with a safer retreat. 

“ ‘ Let the first energy of the police expend itself. 
When that is over we shall find plenty of expeditions 
to make money by.’ 

“ < Good,’ said he, ‘ I shall stay here in this hole as 
if I were dead, and you will tell me when I may come 
out.’ 

“ I returned to the hotel, little imagining what was 
about to happen. The Chevalier de Lozeril having 
called to see the captain, proceeded, on finding him- 
self in presence of M. de Badieres, apropos of Cartouche, 
to give the details of a nocturnal adventure in the 
square. I was there, and hearing all, knew that it 
was he who had seen me carrying my ghastly burden, 
and who could now, after two years of security, be my 
ruin. The portrait was then shown to him, and 
though he had denied any resemblance to the body 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


345 


he had seen, I was certain, by the amazed expression 
of his face that his denial was a lie. I read in his 
countenance his evil character, and trembled as I saw 
the bold and insolent glances he threw toward Pauline. 
I shuddered to think of the sweet child falling into 
the hands of such a scoundrel. I resolved to kill him 
and thus rid myself of the only witness of my crime. 
De Lozeril himself furnished me with a pretext which 
insured me against all suspicion. Believing his life to 
be in danger from the violence of Annibal, he had the 
imprudence to write a letter declaring himself, in case 
of his death, the victim of Fouquier and his daughter. 
While he was writing, I read his statement over his 
shoulder, and he had the further folly to leave the 
hotel with this letter undestroyed in his pocket. I let 
him out at the grand entrance, and taking a short cut 
through the garden came upon him in the square, 
where I stabbed him. He fell down in a lifeless heap, 
after uttering one piercing cry. Oh,” cried Pigeot, 
with a dreary laugh, “ that night I slept well, for I 
thought I had arrived at the end of all my troubles. 
I had nothing now to fear from De Lozeril, for I be- 
lieved beyond a doubt I had killed him, and that, by 
means of the letter which would be found on his body, 
I should be revenged on Annibal and Aurore, those 
birds of prey who had come to fatten on the fortune of 
my little Pauline. Pauline would inherit the fortune, 
and my designs would be crowned with success at the 
expense of Fouquier and his daughter, whom I de- 
tested with all my heart. Yes, that night I slept well !” 

Silent, and shuddering at the old man’s ferocity, his 
two listeners remained spell-bound, almost imagining 
it must all be an evil dream, so incredible did it appear 
that paternal love should be the motive power of this 
horrible malignity. The attendant resumed : 


346 Mystery of hotel brichet. 

“ What frightful sufferings I endured at that cursed 
trial, seeing my cherished hopes extinguished one by 
one, and knowing that my two enemies would come 
out triumphant from the trap I had laid for them. 
Something seemed to burst within my brain, and I felt 
that I was going mad when I heard Monsieur Badineau 
declare that you must have burned the wrong will, and 
that all my labor had thus been in vain. Ah, you may 
threaten me with all the penalties of the law, but 
nothing in existence, not all the torments of hell, 
could ever approach the horrible agony I endured that 
awful day. I had suffered and sinned that those two 
cursed creatures ~ should walk forth free from the 
tribunal and seize on all my Pauline’s millions ! Ah, 
my God, I thought I should die ! For the third time 
I was baffled — all was lost. All at once there came to 
me the thought of that man and his extraordinary re- 
semblance. Brichet need not remain dead. I could 
bring him to life. I rushed like a madman from the 
hall of justice and flew to the Rue de la Bucherie. 
On seeing me appear the bandit uttered a cry of joy. 

“ ‘ Ah,’ he cried, ‘ is it you ? I thought you had for- 
gotten me,’ and then he added quickly: ‘You have 
found some good affair that will put us in funds ?’ 

“ ‘ Would you care to gain thirty thousand francs in 
a fortnight ?’ I said. 

“He opened his eyes at this tempting proposition, 
and replied : 

“ ‘ Certainly. What is there to do ?’ 

“ ‘ Have you plenty of audacity ?’ 

“ ‘ Well, timidity is hardly my besetting sin/ 

“ ‘ Have you a good memory ?’ 

“ ‘ Perfect.’ 

“ ‘ Can you write ?’ 

“ He burst into a shout of laughter. 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


347 


“‘Do I know how to write? Well, rather I And 
more than that, too ! Look here,’ he said, taking up a 
piece of paper. ‘ See, this morning I had nothing to 
do, so I amused myself by writing that.’ 

“ I took up the paper and found that between the 
written lines, Monday had produced a copy so exact 
that it was impossible to decide which was the original. 
My heart beat wildly with hope on seeing the clever 
forgery. 

“ ‘ Well,’ said I, ‘now listen carefully,’ and I told him 
how he must immediately appear at the tribunal, and 
how, the time being too short to give him full instruc- 
tions, I must trust to his intelligence to do his best. 

“ ‘ Good, good !’ he said. ‘ And if I find myself up 
a tree I will cover my face with my handkerchief and 
cry ; that will pull me through ; they will think I am 
overcome with emotion,’ and the brigand laughed 
heartily. 

“ ‘ Once you get over the debut it will be easy 
enough,’ I said, ‘ for every day I will give you a lesson 
and tell you what to do and say.’ The thirty thousand 
francs I had promised appeared to him at first an en- 
ormous sum, but when he learned what I should re- 
quire of him he uttered a phrase that ought to have 
warned me of the dangerous game I was playing. 
Seeing him hesitate, I said : 

“‘In a fortnight you will be at full liberty to leave.’ 

“ ‘ With the thirty thousand francs ?’ 

“ ‘ Yes, cash down.’ 

“ ‘ Hum !’ said he. ‘ It is little enough pay for 
such hard work.’ 

“But I had the folly .to ignore this remark, which 
ought to have revealed to me the man’s extraordinary 
cupidity, and pressed for time, I ran to the hotel, and 
taking a suit of clothes belonging to my master, I re- 


348 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


turned with them to the bandit. Putting them on, his 
identity with Monsieur Brichet was perfect. While 
making his toilet Monday shouted with laughter, ex- 
claiming again and again, 4 Well, this is a lark !’ And 
after a few last injunctions I preceded him to the tri- 
bunal. Five minutes later he appeared, and every one 
knows the scene that followed.” 

“ He was a daring villain,” said Brichet. 

“Yes, and it was on remarking his audacity and his 
cunning that I understood the mischief I had done in 
making use of him.” 

“ And then the thought occurred to you that you 
would murder him, too.” 

“ No, sir,” said the attendant, curtly. “ I would have 
kept faith with him loyally, and if I did murder him 
later, it was his own action that forced me to it. The 
very first evening I began to tremble for the results ot 
my plan, on seeing the vice to which he was addicted; 
one word, uttered in a fit of drunkenness, was suffi 
cient to ruin all my hopes. At last I obtained his con- 
sent to drink only in the privacy of his chamber, and 
each night, locked in alone with him, I gave him in- 
structions for the following day’s deportment. 

“‘Very good,’ Monday would say. ‘ I consent to all 
this, but it is a hundred thousand francs you will pay 
me, not thirty thousand.’ 

“Taken in my own trap, I had to submit. Now I 
began to pave the way for his disappearance by saying 
that my master had not recovered from his mania for 
travelling, and I feared that he would again give us 
the slip as before. But in reality Monday found him- 
self too comfortable to wish to leave us, and when I 
demanded the signing of the will, as he had promised, 
he simply replied : 

“ ‘ To-morrow, my dear fellow.’ 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


349 


“ At last one day he declared boldly that he in- 
tended to continue his assumed rdle , and unable to 
control my fury I cried : 

“ ‘Then I will murder you, you scoundrel !’ 

“ ‘ Oh, no, you won’t,’ he answered quite coolly, ‘ you 
are too anxious to have that will, you know.’ 

“‘Write it then,’ I said, inwardly in the greatest 
alarm, * and you shall have not one hundred but two 
hundred thousand francs.’ 

“ ‘ Ta, ta !’ he retorted, laughing. ‘ Don’t you wish 
you may get it. No, no, I ’m too old a bird to be 
caught with chaff ; and once I have written you that 
will, much . you will concern yourself about me.’ 

“ He was right. He had me in his power by the 
promise of that will. One night, when intoxication 
laid him almost dead at my feet, I might easily have 
killed him, but I dared not let him die ; the will was 
not made ; it was necessary to me, and I flew to call 
you, M. Maurice.” 

Evening was now fast advancing into night, and the 
room was enveloped in darkness, but the voice of the 
attendant still went on, grave and sad : 

“ But all my anxiety over Monday’s villainy was 
nothing compared to the terror I endured when I 
knew that M. Badineau had placed the whole of Paul- 
line’s immense fortune in the hands of this bandit, and 
that at any moment he might escape with the millions 
in his possession — these millions for which I had 
almost given my soul !” And as if the very recollec- 
tion' of his sufferings were a torture to him, Pigeot 
groaned aloud and wiped the perspiration from his 
forehead. “ The parts we played were now changed,” 
he continued. “ Monday wished to depart, and I used 
every effort to detain him. Night after night I re- 
mained on guard at the door of his bedroom, for he 


350 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


was a clever and active adversary, difficult to check- 
mate. He understood perfectly that his delay in 
writing the will was no longer his protection, for 
what use would have been the will when he decamped 
with Pauline’s fortune ? It was the money itself I 
must now secure, and Monday saw himself in deadly 
peril of death. He became frightened, and endeavored 
to protect himself by the constant presence of Annibal 
and De Lozeril, that idiot who actually imagined he 
was about to become my Pauline’s husband. 

“ Good God ! My poor little girl promised to such a 
ruffian !” exclaimed Bricliet, terrified at the very 
thought of such a union. 

“ Oh, Monsieur Brichet,” cried Pigeot, “ do not im- 
agine for an instant that this marriage could ever 
have been, for I would have killed the wretch as ruth- 
lessly as I would crush a worm beneath my heel. No, 
sir, I had already chosen a husband for my beloved 
granddaughter, a good and honest man, and a man 
whom she loved. I had seen the mutual love of the 
young people from the beginning, and the dearest hope 
of my life was that Pauline should not only be rich, 
but happy. Do you understand me, Monsieur Mau- 
rice ?” 

“ I understand you, Pigeot,” answered Brichet, “ and 
you will see this very night that your choice has been 
the same as mine.” 

“Thank God !” ejaculated the old man with heart- 
felt joy. Then hastening to conclude his story, with 
feverish excitement he continued : “ Monday having ac- 
complished the death of his two guards, prepared for 
instant flight, when he found me on his track ; and 
then, having forced him to forge the will, I slew him 
without a moment’s compunction.” 

After this avowal Pigeot sank into a chair as if ex- 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


351 


hausted, and covering- his face with his hands, wept 
bitterly. After a moment’s pause he added, his utter- 
ance almost choked with sobs : 

“ In all this terrible struggle, which I fought out 
single-handed, I had nothing to support me but my 
love for Pauline, for alas, even God Himself was 
against me ; and at the very moment when I thought 
my triumph was complete and final, you yourself ap- 
peared, sir, like an avenging- spirit from the other 
world. Now I lay down my weapons. I shall fight no 
more. I am vanquished, and you can give me up to 
justice.” 

Brichet stood up, saying in a stern voice : “ Listen 
to me, Pigeot,” but at the same moment the sound of 
footsteps arose from the garden. Hidden by the 
darkness, Maurice leaned from the open window and 
listened. 

“ There are two people,” he whispered. 

And then low voices were heard, mingled with the 
sound of footsteps on the gravel. It was impossible 
for Maurice to distinguish who the persons were, but 
presently they stopped beneath the window, and the 
voice of M. de Badieres was distinctly heard, saying : 

“ Let us sit down on this seat and wait. He cannot 
be much longer.” 

“At what hour is he coming ?” asked the silvery 
voice of Aurore, vibrating clearly in the still night air. 

“At nine o’clock, my child,” replied the judge, as 
they sat down and waited beneath the window. 

“ Whom do they expect?” murmured the procureur . 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

Amidst the calm silence of the night the great bell 
of St. Louis rang out slowly nine o’clock. 

“ Let us go in, dear child,” said the voice of M. 
de Badieres, “ you must be there to receive M. de Cam- 
biac.” 

A quiver passed through the frame of Brichet as he 
exclaimed, indignantly : 

“Ah, what treachery! My old friend De Badieres 
lending himself to the intrigues of my wife and her 
lover !” 

“ Have you forgotten, Monsieur Brichet, that you 
are dead and buried ?” whispered Maurice, and he 
was right, for excepting his two companions, the whole 
world believed that Brichet had gone to his eternal 
rest in the vault of St. Louis. 

To the judge’s suggestion Aurore replied, entreat- 
ingly : 

“ Oh, let us stay here. The mild evening air does 
me good, and then, Monsieur de Badieres, it seems that 
God, who has been so good to Monsieur de Cambiac 
and me, is looking down and smiling on us from the 
star-lit sky.” 

“Then, my child, as we cannot possibly hear the 
baron knock at this distance from the gate, I shall go 

r 35 2 j 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 353 

and open it now,” and a moment later hurried foot- 
• steps were heard coming toward Aurore, and she 
found herself clasped in De Cambiac’s arms. 

“ Aurore, my love, my own ! Do I see you again ?” 
he cried, showering kisses on her trembling lips, as 
she sank down on the seat, her heart beating with un- 
utterable joy. 

“ Raoul, you are free at last !” she murmured. 

“ Yes, an hour ago my prison doors were opened, 
and I flew here on wings of love, for Monsieur de 
Badieres told me that death had put an end to all your 
miseries, my darling, and that now I might love you 
without remorse.” Kneeling before her, his arms 
encircling her waist, he continued, wild with joy : 
“ Free ! my Aurore, yes, now you are free and our 
love, interrupted for a short time by your hateful 
marriage with that old man, will now be renewed, and 
you are henceforth mine, my very own, my life, my 
soul, yes — my wife ! What do I care for exile now, 
when you will be with me, you whom I love. Come, 
let us go !” 

“You have forgotten your promise, then, Monsieur 
de Cambiac," said the grave voice of the judge ; “you 
forget that you were to go alone.” 

“You are right, sir,' replied Raoul, “and I thank 
you for reminding me to keep my word.” 

“ Painful as the effort may be, I trust that madame 
will not hesitate to make this sacrifice to the memory 
of my dear old friend, and thus conceal from the world 
at large how repugnant her marriage was to her own 
feelings. Believe me, had poor Brichet known the 
real state of the case, he would have been the first to 
give up a project which he would have known was 
fatal to your happiness/’ 

“That is indeed true,’ whispered Brichet, on whose 


354 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


ear every word smote clear and distinct, and the mag- 
istrate continued : 

“ If it is true that nothing remains hidden from the 
departed, he must know full well how faithfully you 
have guarded his name from all dishonor. Now let 
me beg you to persevere a few months longer in the 
same noble endeavor, and continue to bear the name 
of him whose only fault lay in forgetting that youth 
and age can never be happily united, and that a time 
of life comes to every man when paternal affection 
ought to be sufficient for him.” 

“You are right, sir,” said Aurore, rising from her 
seat. “ Yes, I have this last duty to perform, and the 
world must never know that my marriage was the un- 
happiness of my life, and if Monsieur Brichet had 
lived, I trust that he too would have remained in 
ignorance, for I would have striven to do my best 
under the martyrdom he involuntarily imposed on 
me.” 

“ Yes, foolish, indeed, is the old man who imagines 
he can make himself beloved,” murmured Brichet, 
mournfully. 

Aurore now turned resolutely toward her lover, and 
said : 

“ Go, my Raoul. In one year I will be with you.” 

The baron made no resistance. It was the last sac- 
rifice required by love and honor. 

“ I will wait,” he said, and then one long, mad, wild 
embrace, and he was gone. 

“ How they love each other !” exclaimed Brichet, 
with a heartbroken sigh, and the sound of Aurore 
weeping bitterly was heard in the still night. 

“ Calm yourself, dear child,” said the judge. “ Very 
soon I shall arrange for the return of Monsieur de 
Cambiac, and in one year I shall have the happiness of 


MYSTERY GE HOTEL BRICHET. 


355 


doing- the same service for you as 1 have promised to 
do for Pauline to-night.” 

“ What is that ?” she asked. 

“ Look — do you see through the trees how the 
Church of St. Louis is being lighted up ? They are 
preparing for Pauline’s wedding, for to-night at twelve 
o’clock she is to be married to Maurice Gardi. Mon- 
sieur Badineau and myself are to be the witnesses.” 

Maurice had barely time to put his hand over Pigeot's 
mouth to prevent the attendant uttering a loud cry on 
hearing the news. 

“ Yes,” continued the judge, “ Pauline has loved him 
for some time, and now hastens to obey the last wishes 
expressed by her father in his will. She will leave 
Paris immediately after the ceremony.” 

“ So soon !” cried Aurore. 

“ Yes, her husband wishes to remove her at once 
from the scene of so many terrible memories.” 

“ I shall go to the church, too, and pray for her hap- 
piness. Meanwhile, let us return to the pavilion,” and 
leaning on the judge’s arm, Aurore walked slowly 
away. 

Brichet stood still at the window, silent and motion- 
less. Maurice waited a few minutes, and then said : 

“ What are we to do, Monsieur Brichet ? Will you 
allow me to tell Pauline you have returned? Poor 
child, she is heartbroken.” 

To this question Brichet at first made no reply, but 
after a long reflection, he said : 

“ What would be the good ? If I come back here 
and take my old place, justice will demand an account 
of this man who for a time occupied it, and I should 
be compelled to deliver up to punishment my own 
father-in-law — the grandfather of my Pauline ! You 
never could advise such a step, Maurice !” 


3o6 MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHEf. 

“ No,” replied the doctor. 

“ And further,” continued Brichet, “ by reappearing 
here I once more chain to a life of slavery a poor girl 
who has never wronged me, and who, thus deprived of 
the bright future now before her, would most certainly 
die of grief. No, no, she was faithful to me even when 
she must have cursed me in her heart, and now I owe 
her the only recompense I can make her,” and turning 
toward the pavilion he stretched out his trembling 
hand, saying with deep emotion : “ Aurore, you can 
marry Raoul from this day ; you are free and a 
widow !” 

“ What do you mean to do ?” cried Maurice, hastily, 
with a vague suspicion of suicide. 

“ I wish to remain as I am now, dead — yes, absolutely 
dead — ‘the late Brichet.’ Yes, for Paris I am indeed 
dead and gone, but far away, in sunny Provence, in the 
retreat that I have chosen, and where I shall precede 
you by a few hours, you will hasten to bring me my 
Pauline after your marriage, and there, between you 
and her, my two children, I hope to end my days in 
peaceful happiness, remembering De Badieres’s words, 
that ‘ a time comes in the life of every man when 
paternal love ought to be sufficient for him.* ” Then 
turning to Pigeot he said : “ Badineau himself has been 
deceived by the false will forged by Monday, giving 
the fortune to Pauline, and providing also for Aurore ’s 
comfort. 1 could have done no better myself, so it 
may remain. And as for you, I grant you your life. 
Try to repent of your crimes.” 

The attendant bowed his head, murmuring : 

“ Pauline is now rich and happy, my life is of no 
more use to me,” and his fingers closed convulsively 
round the little vial in his pocket, containing the re- 
mainder of the poison he had administered to Monday. 


mystery of hotel brichet. 


357 


Maurice, I am going now,” continued th e procureur, 
turning once more to Gardi. “ In a few hours you 
will follow me with Pauline. For God’s sake do not 
delay ; think of my impatience to embrace the sweet 
child after our long separation,” and Brichet passed 
out quickly. Maurice watched the old man as he 
crossed the garden, terrified lest he should meet any 
inhabitant of the hotel, but all was still, and Brichet 
disappeared safely from the grounds. He, too, was 
about to go his way, when Pigeot, laying his hand on 
his arm, with a wail of supplication in his voice, said : 

“ Monsieur Maurice, in Heaven’s name, promise me 
! one last kindness ! When you leave the church after 
j the ceremony, bring me my granddaughter that I may 
1 embrace her for the first and last time in my poor 
life.” 

“ I promise,” said the doctor, deeply moved. 

Midnight tolled from the great bell of St. Louis as 
Maurice and Pauline knelt with bowed heads before 
| the altar to receive the nuptial benediction. M. 
j Badieres and the judge were the witnesses of the 
quiet ceremony, while Aurore prayed silently in a cor- 
ner, her face buried in her hands, her heart filled with 
a great joy at the thought that in another year it would 
be her turn. On leaving the church, where at the 
porch a carriage awaited them, they were met by the 
old attendant. Believing that she was going but a 
short distance from Paris, and never doubting that her 
faithful Colard, from whom she had never been sep- 
arated, would accompany her, Pauline stopped short, 
and exclaimed in surprise : 

“ Why, Colard, are you not coming with us ?” 

“ I shall join you to-morrow,” he replied. 

“ Oh, you naughty Colard, to leave me now !” cried 
the happy bride. 


358 


MYSTERY OF HOTEL BRICHET. 


“ Come, my darling, give your old Colard a kiss,” 
suggested Maurice, kindly. 

“No, no,” returned Pauline, laughing gayly, “for 
his punishment I shall not kiss him until he comes to 
us, and that, you know, will make him come all the 
sooner,” and with a charming pout and a pretty men- 
acing gesture, she was gone. 

Colard stood there in the church, listening as the 
carriage drove off at a rapid pace, carrying away from 
him forever the treasure of his heart, the child for 
whom he had sinned and suffered. Yes, Pauline was 
gone without even giving him the one poor kiss he had 
so longed for. 

“ Oh, God,” he cried aloud in his agony, “ my pun- 
ishment is greater than I can bear !” 

******* 

The following day “ all Paris ” was deeply moved by 
the touching story of Brichet’s faithful servant, who, 
unable to sustain the blow of his beloved master’s 
death, had been found that morning by the sacristan 
of St. Louis’s Church, lying cold and stiff beside the 
procureur' s tomb. He had poisoned himself with the 
contents of a small vial which was found clutched in 
his dead hand. 


THE END. 


A Charming Novel. 


HEARTS AND CORONETS; 

OR, 

WHO’S THE NOBLE? 


BY 

JANE G. FULLER. 

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY ARTHUR LUMLEY. 

12mo. 347 Pag-es. Handsomely Bound in Cloth. Price, $1.00. 
Paper Cover, 50 Cents. 


li Hearts and Coronets” is a novel in which rank and wealth 
are contrasted with the plainer elements of social life, and are 
shown to be no bar to truth, purity and affection. The plot is 
extremely good, and appeals strongly to every mother who has 
ever looked upon a lovely child in the cradle and considered the 
possibility of its being suddenly snatched away and its fate re- 
maining for years a sealed book. There are possibilities in life 
more strange and surprising than any of the inventions of the 
novelist, and this story, like many others which strike the reader 
as improbable, is founded on fact. It is a deeply interesting nar- 
rative, with many delightful pictures of domestic life and woman’s 
experience. 

For sale by all booksellers and newsdealers, or sent, postpaid, 
on receipt of price, by the publishers, 

ROBERT BONNER’S SONS, 

Cop,. William and Spruce Streets, New York. 


A BRILLIANT NOVEL. 


ROMANCE OF TROUVILLE 


A MotkI. 


TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF 

BREHAT, 

BY 

META DE VERE, 

T ranslator of “ Mademoiselle Desrochesf etc. 
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY WECHSLER. 


12mo. 329 Pages. Handsomely Bound in Cloth. Price, $1.00. 
Paper Cover, 50 Cents. 


This is a characteristic story of life in a brilliant French water- 
ing-place. It gives an admirable picture of the amusements, the 
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is a dashing French officer belonging to the old aristocracy of 
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parentage. The course of the story develops situations both sur- 
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entirely pure and delightful from beginning to end. 

For sale by all booksellers and newsdealers, or sent, postpaid, 
on receipt of price, by the publishers, 

ROBERT BONNER’S SONS, 

Cor. William a^d Spruce StreetSj New York. 

4 t ' 


A New Novel by the Author of “A Priestess 
of Comedy.” 


COUNTESS DYNAR; 

OR, 

POLISH BLOOD. 


BY 

NATALY VON ESCHSTRUTH, 

Author of “ A Priestess of Comedy ,” “ A Princess of the Stage f 

etc . 


WITH ILL US TLA TIONS B Y JAMES FAGAN. 


12mo. 367 Pages. Handsomely Bound in Cloth. Price, $1.26. 

Paper Cover, 60 Cents. 


Nataly von Eschstruth’s novels are full of romantic sentiment 
that takes one completely out of the ordinary atmosphere and 
situations of common life. There are a swing to her style, a con- 
tagious enthusiasm and extravagance in her descriptions and a 
freshness in the emotions and passions of her characters, which 
command the attention, excite the feelings and absorb the in- 
terest of every reader. All who have read the “ Priestess of 
Comedy” will appreciate the truth of what we say. “Countess 
Dynar ” is a book of most unusual beauty. The illustrations are 
admirably illustrative of the scenes and characters. 

For sale by all booksellers and newsdealers, or sent, postpaid, 
on receipt of price, by the publishers, 

ROBERT BONNER’S SONS, 

Cor. William and Spruce Streets, New York. 


A Fresh Novel From the German* 


WOOING A WIDOW. 

FROM THE GERMAN OF 

EWALD AUGUST KOENIG. 


MARY A. ROBINSON, 

Translator of “ A Child of the Parish etc. 


WITH IL USTBA TIOHS JB Y JAMES FA GA H. 


12 mo. 380 Pages. Handsomely Bound in Cloth. Price, $1.25, 
Paper Cover, 50 Cents. 


Koenig is one of the most popular novelists of Germany, and 
“Wooing a Widow” is his best work. The widow in the story 
has more than one wooer, and there is great uncertainty as to the 
one ultimately to win and wed her. It is an exciting story, with 
a succession of interesting incidents in the working-out of an ex- 
cellent plot. It is rare that we find a story from the German so 
well planned and so delightfully carried out. It can be read at 
one sitting without any feeling of fatigue, as the story is inter- 
esting from beginning to end. 

For sale by all booksellers and newsdealers, or sent, postpaid, 
on receipt of price, by the publishers, 

ROBERT BONNER’S SONS, 

Cor. William and Spruce Streets, New York. 


LITTLE HEATHER-BLOSSOM 


(ERICA.) 


TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN OF 

FRAU VON INGERSLEBEN, 

BY 

MARY J. SAFFORD. 

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY WARREN R. DAVIS. 


12mo. 470 Pages. Handsomely Bound in Cloth. Price, $1.00* 
Paper Cover, 50 Cents. 


This novel is one of the most interesting that has been pub- 
lished in this country, taken from the German. It has more 
variety of character and scenery than is usual in German novels. 
All admirers of Marlitt will find it a novel to their taste. Miss 
Safford, the translator, who was the first to discover the merit of 
Werner and Heimburg, is very partial to it. Among its salient 
points are a wreck, a runaway, life in a castle on the Rhine, with 
its terraces sloping to the river, balls, entertainments and exqui- 
site character sketches. The heroine is one of the loveliest 
creations of fiction. 

F or sale by all booksellers and newsdealers, or sent, postpaid, 
on receipt of price, by the publishers, 

ROBERT BONNER’S SONS, 

Cor. William and Spruce Streets, New York. 


LOVE IS LORD OF ALL; 

OR, 

NEIGHBORING STEPPES. 

51 No»et. 


ADAPTED FROM THE GERMAN 

BY MARY J. SAFFORD, 

Translator of “ Wife and Woman,” “ Little Heather- Blossom, ” 
True Daughter of Hartensteinf etc., etc . 

WITB ILL VS TEA TIONS BY F. A. CARTER. 


12mcx 800 Paffea. Handsomely Bound in Cloth. Price, $1.00. 
Paper Cover, 60 Cents. 


The second title of this story, “ Neighboring Steppes,” indi- 
cates the scene of the story, which is adjoining estates on the 
great plains of Poland. The heir of a ruined and dissipated 
nobleman falls in love with the daughter of a rich Jew who has 
bought one of the estates of the family. The beautiful character 
of the Jewess and the heroism of the young baron are in refresh- 
ing contrast to the narrow pride and contemptible conduct of 
those who endeavor to break off their intimacy. It is a surpass- 
ingly interesting sketch of foreign life made familiar by the action 
of human passions which are the same the world over. 

For sale by all booksellers and newsdealers, or sent, post- 
paid, on receipt of price, by the publishers, 

ROBERT BONNER’S SONS, 

COR. William and Spruce Streets, New York, 


Mrs. Southworth’s Best Novels. 


ONLY A GIRL’S HEART, 

BY 

MRS. E. D. E. N. SOUTHWORTH. 


THE REJECTED BRIDE, 

Being “Only a Girl’s Heart,” Second Series. 


GERTRUDE HADDON, 

Being “ Only a Girl’s Heart,” Third Series. 

BY 

MRS. E. D. E. N. SOUTHWORTH, 


ALL THREE LLLU8TRATED BY HUGH M. EATON. 

12mo. Handsomely Bound in Cloth. Price, $1.00 each. Paper 
Cover, 50 Cents. 


The three novels above named are all connected by a thread 
of story and deal with the same characters. The series reads 
continuously and is essentially one novel, although each book 
forms more or Jess a distinct narrative. The interest of the first 
novel is carried forward with increasing power until the close of 
the third. Few authors, living or dead, have swayed so wide an 
influence or held readers with a more sovereign power than this 
delightful novelist. Many readers are gratified to meet their old 
acquaintances in the successive books of a favorite author. F. 
Marion Crawford owes a great deal of his popularity to the 
Roman family of the Saracinesca, whose fortunes in succeeding 
generations are told in his novels. So this series by Mrs. South- 
worth will furnish a whole winter’s reading to her admirers, and 
all about the same people. The illustrations of these novels add 
very much to their beauty and interest. 

For sale by all booksellers and newsdealers, or sent, postpaid, 
on receipt of price, by the publishers, 

ROBERT BONNER’S SONS, 

Cor. William and Spruce Streets, New York. 


A Novel by Fanny Lewald. 


The Mask of Beauty. 

AFTER THE GERMAN OF 

Fanny Lewald, 

BY 

Mary M. Pleasants. 

With Illustrations by F. A. Carter. 

12mo. 340 Pages. Handsomely Bound in Cloth. Price, $1.00. 

Paper Cover, 50 Cents. 


Fanny Lewald is one of the most celebrated writers of Ger- 
many. Her books have enjoyed great popularity, but few of them 
have been translated into English. This is a story of Hela, a 
peninsula jutting out into the Baltic Sea, of which Dantzig is the 
principal town. The maid of Hela is a poor orphan, whose rare 
beauty is the cause of her many trials. She is bred in a fishing 
village among a superstitious people, full of curiosity, and isolated 
from her neighbors by reason of her parentage and religion. The 
story is a minute and realistic study of character, manners and 
customs of an out-of-the-way corner of the world. The extra- 
ordinary beauty of the girl Catherine, whose life history is nar- 
rated, is made the cause of every important situation and the 
final tragedy of the novel. Nothing can be finer than the patient 
and loving art with which the author has developed her subject, 
and exhibited beauty as the mask of a pure and beautiful soul 
unconscious of the dangerous possession. 

For sale by all booksellers and newsdealers, or sent, postpaid, 
on receipt of price, by the publishers, 

ROBERT BONNER’S SONS, 

Cor. William and Spruce Streets, New York. 


Yet She Loved Him, 

By Mrs. Kate Vaughn, 

and 

Jephthah’s Daughter, 

By Julia Magruder, 

Author of “A Magnificent Plebeian ,” “At Anchor 
“Honored in the Breach ,” etc. 

With Illustrations by Warren B. Davis. 


12mo. 339 Pages. Handsomely Bound in Cloth. Price, $1.00. 

Paper Cover, 50 Cents. 


“Yet She Loved Him” is a popular and sensational story 
of English life. It has many elements of interest, and will 
please all readers to whom a good story is the principal thing 
in a novel. Miss Magruder’s novelette, “Jephthah’s Daughter,” 
which is appended, is of a distinctly higher character. It is 
based upon the Biblical narrative, and is written in a style 
peculiarly appropriate to the subject, and full of beauty. The 
story is a brilliant piece of work. Nothing which Miss Magruder 
has written exhibits greater literary ability or more sustained 
power. 

For sale by all booksellers and newsdealers, or sent, postpaid, 
on receipt of price, by the publishers, 

ROBERT BONNER’S SONS, 

Cor. William and Spruce Streets, New York. 


An Original Story of Adventure, 


IN THE CHINA SEA. 


BY 

SEWARD W. HOPKINS, 

Author of “ Two Gentlemen of Hawaii etc., etc . 

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY PRTJETT SHARE AND H. M. EATON. 

12mo. 300 Pag-es. Handsomely Bound in Cloth* Price, $1.00. 
Paper Cover, 50 Cents. 


“ In the China Sea” is a story of the Pacific Coast, where the 
almond-eyed Mongolians have a quarter in every city, whence 
they communicate with their kindred of the Flowery Kingdom 
across the seas. The story deals with the disappearance of a 
beautiful girl, who is traced to Portland, Oregon, where she is 
embarked on a steamer bound for China. There is an exciting 
pursuit and search for this beautiful girl. The extraodinary 
things which happen, the sights and people met with and de- 
scribed, in detailing this pursuit and search, render this story one 
of the most interesting and exciting productions of modern fiction. 
It will rank with “ King Solomon’s Mines” and Jules Verne’s 
wonderful narrations. An unknown people of strange customs, 
manners and appearance is introduced. A great war is started, 
carried on and brought to a conclusion. The invention of the 
author seems to be boundless, and the interest of the reader is 
stimulated by the new and wonderful developments that crowd 
upon one another as the story proceeds. 

For sale by all booksellers and newsdealers, or sent, postpaid 
on receipt of price, by the publishers, 

ROBERT BONNER’S SONS, 

Cor. William and Spruce Streets, New York. 


THE LEDGER LIBRARY. 


No. and Title. 


Author. 


Cloth. Paper. 


1— Her Double liife 

2— Unknown 

3— 1 The Gnnmaker of Moscow... 

4— Maud Morton 

5 — The Hidden Hand 

6— Sundered Hearts 

7— The Stone-Cutter of Lisbon.. 

8— Lady Kildare 

9— Cris Rock 

10 — Nearest and Dearest 

11 — The Bailiff’s Scheme 

12— A Leap in the Dark 

13— Henry M. Stanley 

11 — The Old Life’s Shadows 

15 — A Mad Betrothal 

16— The Lost Lady of Lone 

17— lone 

18 — For Woman’s Love 

19 — Cesar Birotteau 

20— The Baroness Blank 

21— Parted by Fate 

22— The Forsaken Inn 

23— Ottilie Aster’s Silence 

24 — Edda’s Birthright 

25— The Alchemist 

26— Under Oath 

27 - Cousin Pons 

28— The Unloved Wife 

29— Lilith 

30 — Reunited 

31— Mrs. Harold Stagg 

32— The Breach of Custom 

33— The Northern Light. 

34 — Beryl’s Husband 

35— A Love Match 

36 — A Matter of Millions 

37 — Eugenie Grandet 

38 — The Improvisatore 

39— JL'aoli, the Warrior Bishop... 

40— Under a Cloud 

41— Wile and Woman 

42 — An Insignificant Woman 

43— The Carletons 

44— Mademoiselle Desroches 

45— The Beads of Tasiner 

46— John Winthrop’s Defeat 

47— Little Heather-Blossom 

48— Gloria 

49— David Lindsay 

60— The Little Countess 

61— The Chautanquans 

62— The Two Husbands 

63— Mrs. Barr’s Short Stories 

64— We Parted at the Altar 

65— Was She Wife or Widow?... 

66— The Country Doctor 

67— Florabel’s Lover 

68— Lida Campbell 

59— Edith Trevor’s Secret 

60— Cecil Rosse 

61— Love is Lord of All 

62— True Daughter of Hartenstein 

63— Zina’s Awaking 

64— Morris Julian’s Wife 

65— Dear Elsie 

66 — The Hungarian Girl 

67— Beatrix Rohan 

68— A Son of Old Harry 

69— Romance of Trouville 

70— Life of General Jackson 

71— The Return of the O’Mahony. 

72— Reuben Foreman, the Village 

73 — Neva’s Three Lovers 

74— “ Em” 

75— “Em’s” Husband 


Mrs. Harriet Lewis 

Mrs. E. D. K. N. South worth. 

Sylvanus Cobb, Jr 

Major A. R. Calhoun 

Mrs. E. D. E. N. South worth. 

Mrs. Harriet Lewis 

Prof. Wm. Henry Peck 

Mrs. Harriet Lewis 

Captain Mayne Reid 

Mrs. E. D. E. N. South worth. 

Mrs. Harriet Lewis. 

Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth. 

Henry Frederick Reddall 

Mrs. Harriet Lewis 

Laura Jean Libbey 

Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth. 

Laura Jean Libbey 

Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth. 

Honore De Balzac 

August Niemann 

Laura Jean Libbey 

Anna Katharine Green 

Mrs. D. M. Lowrey 

Mrs. Harriet Lewis 

HouoreDe Balzac 

Jean Kate Ludlum 

Honore De Balzac 

Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth. 


A Popular Southern Author 

Robert Grant 

Mrs. D. M. Lowrey. ^Translator) 

E. Werner 

Mrs. Harriet Lewis 

Sylvanus Cobb, Jr 

Anna Katharine Green 

Honore De Balzac 

Hans Christian Andersen 

W. C. Kitchiu 

Jean Kate Ludlum 

Mary J. Safford 

W. Heimburg 

Robert Grant 

Andre Theuriet 

Mrs. Amelia E. Barr 

J ean Kate Ludlum 

Mary J. Safford. (Translator) 

Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth 


S. E. Boggs. (Translator). 

John Habberton.. 

Mrs. Harriet Lewis 

Mrs. Amelia E. Barr 

Laura Jean Libbey 

Malcolm Bell 

Honore De Balzac 

Laura Jean Libbey 

Jean Kate Ludlum 

Mrs. Harriet Lewis 


From the German. 

u a 


Mrs. J. Kent Spender. 

Elizabeth Olmis 

From the German 


Mrs. Harriet Lewis 

Albion W. Tourgee 

Brehat 

Oliver Dyer 

Harold Frederic 

Blacksmith. Darley Dale 

Mrs. Harriet Lewis 

Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth. 


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THE LEDGER LIBRARY==Continued 


No. and Title. 


Author 


Cloth. Paper 


76 — The Haunted Husband 

77— The Siberian Exiles 

78— The Spanish Treasure 

79— The King of Honey Island — 

80— Mate of the “Easter Bell”.. 

81— The Child of the Parish 

82— Miss Mischief- 

83— The Honor of a Heart 

84— Transgressing the Law 

85*— Hearts and Coronets 

86— Tressilian Court 

87— Guy Tressilian’s Fate 

88— Mynheer Joe 

89— The Froler Case 

90— A Priestess of Comedy 

91— All or Nothing 

92— A Skeleton in the C'oset 

93— Brandon Coyle’s Wife 

94— Love 

95— The Tell-Tale Watch 

96— Hetty; or the Old Grudge 

97— Girls of a Feather 

98— Appassionata 

99— Only a Girl’s Heart 

100— The Rejected Bride 

101— Gertrude Haddon 

102— Countess Bynar, or Polish Blood. 

103— A Sleep-Walker 

104— A Lover From Across the Sea and 

10* —A Princtess of the Stage 

10j— C ountess Obernau 

107— The Gun-Bearer 

108— Wooing a Widow 

109— Her Little Higliuess 

110— In the China Sea 

111 — Invisible Hands 

112— Yet She Loved Him 

113 — The Mask of Beauty 

114— Two Gentlemen of Hawaii.. 

115— The Shadow of the Guillotine 

116— Mystery of Ilctel Briehet 


Mrs. Harriet Lewis 

Col. Thomas W. Knox 

Elizabeth C. Winter 

Maurice Thompson 

Mrs. Amelia E. Barr 

Marie von Ehner-Eschenbach 

W. Heimburg 

From the German 

Capt. Frederick Whittaker 

Jane G. Fuller 

Mrs. Harriet Lewis 

4 ' <4 

St. George Ratliborne 

From the French by H. O. Cooke 

Nataly von Eschstruth 

Count Nepomuk Czapski 

Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southwortli 

44 44 44 

Honore 3>e Balzac 

From the German 

J. H. Connelly. 

Mrs. Amelia E. Barr 

Elsa D’Esterre-Keelin'*; 

Mrs. E. D. E. N. South worth 

<< a << 

u (( << 

Nataly von Eschstruth 

Paul H. Gerrard 

Other Stories. E. Werner 

Nataly von Eschstrutlirff 

Julien Gordon 

E. A. Robinson and G. A. Wall... 

Ewald August Koenig 

Nataly von Eschstrum 

Seward W. Hopkins 

F. von Zobeltitz 

Mrs. Kate Vaughn 

Fanny Lewald 

Seward W. Hopkins 

Sylvanus Cobb, Jr 

Eugene Chavette 


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Every Number Beautifully Illustrated. 


P. 


. 6.6 9 


For sale by all Booksellers 
paid on receipt of price by 


and Newsdealers, or sent post- 


Robert Bonners Sons, 

PUBLISHERS, 

Cor. William and Spruce Streets, New York City 


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